The Jerk
by luvhouse5
Summary: Chase and Cuddy attend a medical conference together in Boston. House cancels Cuddy's hotel room reservation, forcing Cuddy to share a room with Chase. Takes place during season 5, before the Huddy Kiss in "Joy" and before "The Itch". Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**THIS IS AN UNUSUAL PAIRING...**

**BUT I THINK IT COULD WORK.**

**SETTING: SEASON 5, BEFORE THE HUDDY KISS AND BEFORE "THE ITCH".**

**PLEASE READ, COMMENT AND ENJOY!!**

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**THE JERK  
**

**CHAPTER 1:**

Robert Chase strode into the Clinic area around 10 AM that Tuesday morning, wearing a set of light yellow scrubs with a brown long sleeved t- shirt underneath. He had a slightly confident strut in his step that he had acquired almost two years ago since House had given him his walking papers.

As he breezed past the Charge Nurse's station, he nodded a 'hello' to nurse Brenda, but continued toward his intended destination.

Without knocking, he opened the door and entered Cuddy's office. She was seated at her desk, writing in her appointment book.

"It's Tuesday," Chase announced to her, holding onto the doorknob, only entering the office half- way.

Cuddy glanced upwards towards Chase with only her eyes.

"I know what day it is," Cuddy replied, looking back down at her book.

Chase nodded as his eyes were drawn to how well Cuddy's fitted ecru- colored jacket complimented the lacy light pink camisole she was wearing underneath it.

"Same time?" Chase asked, arching his eyebrow.

Cuddy closed the book and shifted her attention to her computer. She moved the mouse slightly to get rid of the screensaver.

"Come at around eight. They moved the show up an hour earlier," Cuddy replied, focused on the budget spreadsheet that was now displayed on her monitor.

"Italian or Chinese?" Chase asked patiently.

Cuddy looked away from her monitor at Chase, noticing that his blue- green eyes looked more green than blue at that moment.

"Surprise me," Cuddy replied with a noncommittal shrug.

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That night, at around five minutes to eight, Chase headed up the walkway to Cuddy's home, holding a large white shopping bag from Cuddy's favorite Chinese restaurant and his messenger bag slung over his chest and shoulder.

He had changed out of his scrubs and was wearing a pair of faded jeans with a slight rip in the right knee, a white t- shirt, his leather jacket and a pair of worn in brown sneakers.

Once he reached her door, he rang the doorbell and absentmindedly looked around the as he waited for her to answer.

A few moments later, Cuddy answered the door, wearing a pair of low rise dark jeans and a light pink scoop neck t- shirt. She was barefoot.

Chase noticed that the color of the shirt was the same color as the camisole that she had worn that day under her jacket.

"C'mon in. It's starting in a few minutes," Cuddy told him, taking the bag of take- out Chinese food out of his hand.

Chase removed his leather jacket and his sneakers before following Cuddy into her living room. By the time he got there, Cuddy was already taking the white cartons of food and the several pairs of chopsticks out of the shopping bag.

"You didn't get soup?" Cuddy asked him, looking through the shopping bag.

"We never eat it, so I didn't bother," Chase replied with a shrug as he took his messenger bag off his shoulder and placed it on the floor next to her couch.

Cuddy looked down at Chase's feet to make sure that he had removed his shoes. Chase smirked in response.

"I think I've been here enough times to know the rules," Chase quipped.

Cuddy rolled her eyes and grinned. "Just sit down already," she said.

Chase's smirk turned into one of his dazzling smiles as he grabbed one of the cartons of food and a set of chopsticks before settling down on her leather couch.

Cuddy grabbed one of the cartons as well as a set of chopsticks and sat down on her couch several inches away from Chase.

As Chase began to eagerly devour his General Tso's chicken, Cuddy had to use all her effort not to laugh at Chase sitting on her couch with his legs crossed 'Indian Style,' as if he was an eight year old kid.

But before she could tease him about the way he was sitting, Cuddy snapped her attention to the TV.

Her favorite weekly medical drama had started and she never missed an episode.

"It's supposed to be a great case this week," Cuddy said enthusiastically as the credits continued.

"There's a great case every week," Chase replied.

"Shh. No more talking," Cuddy ordered him in a hushed voice once the show started.

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By the first commercial break, Chase had already eaten half of his carton of General Tso's chicken.

But Cuddy was so engrossed in the show that she had barely touched her food.

"So what do you think of the diagnostician's new team?" Cuddy said, finally taking a small amount of her chicken and steamed vegetables with her chopsticks.

"…Not sure yet," Chase replied in between bites.

Cuddy looked at him incredulously.

"They've been on the show for over a year now!" Cuddy stated. "How could you not have an opinion?"

Chase shrugged playfully. He knew how obsessed Cuddy was with this show and he loved getting a rise out of her about it by pretending not to care.

"I… really don't have an opinion either way," Chase said coyly.

"You miss the old team, don't you?" Cuddy said knowingly.

"It was time for them to move on," Chase said. "It would be unrealistic for them to serve in a fellowship with this guy for more than three years anyway."

"The neurologist is still on his team," Cuddy pointed out.

"Only because the administrator is making him BABYSIT the diagnostician," Chase replied, thickening his accent ever so slightly on the word 'babysit.'

"The diagnostician NEEDS a baby sitter," Cuddy said defensively.

"Show's back on," Chase said, jutting his chin at the TV.

Cuddy exhaled in exasperation through her nose at the fact that Chase wouldn't engage her in the debate that she was craving and turned her attention back to the TV.

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By the next commercial break, Cuddy had eaten a little more. Chase was already trying to open up one of the pre- packaged fortune cookies that had come with their meal.

"I can't BELIEVE that blond E.R. doctor is still in love with the diagnostician," Chase remarked.

Cuddy turned to him with a look of disbelief. "Why don't you believe it?" Cuddy asked.

"Because he's an A$$," Chase replied with slight disgust.

"The surgeon apparently doesn't think so," Cuddy said. "He's still willing to do whatever the diagnostician asks him to do."

"That's because the surgeon's a classy guy," Chase replied matter of factly.

"…I can see why women would find the diagnostician attractive," Cuddy said offhandedly.

Chase looked up from his fortune cookie package. "You DO?" he asked with disbelief.

"He's brilliant… he's sexy… he's not afraid to take risks—" Cuddy began evasively.

"On his PATIENTS. He NEVER takes risks in his personal life," Chase interrupted firmly.

"He's been through a lot over the years," Cuddy argued.

Chase snorted slightly. "All women are the same," he scoffed.

"What does THAT mean?" Cuddy demanded.

Chase turned his body towards her, taking one of his legs off the couch.

"You think that under this guy's snarky, gruff exterior there lies a wounded sensitive soul who just needs the right woman to make him human," Chase stated dramatically.

"I don't think that," Cuddy stated vehemently.

"Yeah. Whatever," Chase mumbled, focusing on his fortune cookie once more.

Cuddy shook her head and took some more of her food with her chopsticks.

As she chewed and swallowed, she watched Chase open up the fortune cookie and take the tiny piece of paper out of it.

As he ate the cookie, Chase read the fortune silently to himself and shoved the little slip of paper into the front pocket of his jeans.

At this point, Chase had been coming over for dinner every night for almost two weeks.

And every time they ordered Chinese food, he always shoved his fortunes into his pocket, never telling her what they said.

At first, she merely shrugged it off as another one of Chase's peculiarities.

But now she was starting to become curious about it.

And for some reason, she didn't feel comfortable asking Chase why he did it.

When the commercial break ended, Cuddy turned her attention away from Chase and back at the TV. After a few moments of watching, she laughed.

"What's so funny?" Chase asked her as he watched.

"I was just thinking about how badly the surgeon used to dress when he was a fellow on the diagnostician's team," Cuddy replied.

"I didn't see anything wrong with the way he used to dress when he was on the team," Chase commented, slightly defensively.

"Oh please. Either the character is colorblind or he's trying to break the world record for most mismatched patterns a person can wear at once," Cuddy said.

"Ok, fine. You wanna talk about dressing inappropriately? Look at the female administrator on this show!" Chase argued.

"What about her?" Cuddy asked with a grimace.

Chase laughed out loud.

"Since when is cleavage accented by lingerie appropriate office attire?!" Chase demanded.

"Powerful women in powerful positions can wear powerful clothes, Dr. Chase," Cuddy said lightly.

"And powerful women in powerful positions use whatever advantage they have to assert their power over their employees, Dr. Cuddy," Chase replied, matching her airy tone.

"And you don't think the surgeon has taken whatever opportunity he can get on this show?" Cuddy argued. "He ratted out the diagnostician in season 1, he used to kiss the diagnostician's a$$--"

"He's had a tough life. Both his parents died. He had to use any advantage he could—" Chase shot back.

"Shut up. Commercial's over," Cuddy interrupted him, turning back to the TV.

Chase grunted in response as he returned his attention back to the show.

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A while later, the show had ended. Cuddy and Chase were still seated on her couch, and Chase was digging through his messenger bag.

"You have all the notes for the presentation?" Cuddy asked him.

"Yep, right here," Chase replied, pulling out a large file of papers and handing them to her.

Cuddy nodded, took the file from him and began wading through the various papers in the file.

"Thanks again for taking me along on this conference," Chase said, taking a pen out of his bag.

"You did a great job on this case. You deserve to present it," Cuddy replied, still perusing through the material.

Chase leaned back on the couch and gazed at Cuddy thoughtfully.

Ever since he had been coming over to her place for dinner and to work on their presentation for the conference they were attending together in a few days time, he noticed that she always wore her dark loose curly hair down about her shoulders.

And usually, stray locks of hair would fall into her face.

More than once, Chase had to fight the urge to brush the hair out of her eyes with his fingertips.

"So who are you leaving in charge of the hospital while you're away?" Chase said, placing one of his arms on the back of the couch.

"You mean who am I leaving in charge of HOUSE while I'm away," Cuddy clarified.

Chase chuckled. "Yeah," he said.

"Wilson's going to be acting administrator," Cuddy replied.

"Are you KIDDING me?" Chase asked in shock.

Cuddy turned away from the paper work and towards Chase.

"What?" she demanded.

"You already emasculated House by putting Foreman back on his team as your 'eyes and ears.' Now you're gonna put Wilson in your office? House'll roll all over him!" Chase exclaimed.

"It's only for a few days. How much damage can House do in a few days?" Cuddy asked.

"Again. Are you KIDDING me?" Chase repeated.

Cuddy turned back to the papers and took one sheet out of the file, thrusting it at Chase.

"Here. Make yourself useful and re- read our opening remarks," Cuddy ordered him.

Chase took the paper from his boss and started reading the opening to their joint presentation to himself. They shared the next few moments in silence as they both concentrated on their work.

"Does House know that Wilson's taking your place while you're at the conference?" Chase asked, breaking the silence.

"You think I'm that stupid?" Cuddy replied, not looking up from the file.

Chase then put the paper that he was holding down in his lap and gazed at Cuddy once more.

"Does House know that I'm going with you on this conference?" Chase asked her, his blue- green eyes sparkling mischievously.

Cuddy turned to Chase once more, noticing the sparkle in his eyes, but refusing to acknowledge it.

"Again. You think I'm that stupid?" Cuddy asked him with a smile.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2:

Several days later, late Sunday night, Chase was packing his suitcase for the conference.

His and Cuddy's shuttle flight would be departing for Boston from Newark airport at 10:00 the next morning. It would take him at least an hour to get to the airport, and he had no desire to anger his boss by being late.

As he was deciding which shirts looked best with his selection of sport coats and ties that were currently laid out on his bed, his phone rang. He smiled as he recognized the caller ID and answered it.

"Hey you," Chase said sexily into the phone.

"Am I bothering you?" Cameron asked him on the other end.

"Of course not. When are you coming over?" Chase asked.

Cameron exhaled deeply.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't tonight. I just got off a twelve hour shift in the ER and I'm exhausted," Cameron said apologetically.

"If you've forgotten, you're a department head. You can always get a subordinate to work the late shift," Chase reminded her.

"I know. But we had a serious trauma case with multiple patients, and you know me—" Cameron began.

"Yeah, I know you," Chase interrupted her affectionately.

"… I'm sorry," Cameron repeated kindly.

"S' ok," Chase said casually with a shrug, trying to hide his disappointment.

"You're pouting," Cameron declared.

"No I'm not," Chase lied.

Cameron clicked her tongue. "Now you're lying," she said.

Chase sighed. "…It's… just that I'm leaving for Boston tomorrow for five days… and I thought that we could spend some time together before I left," Chase said, his disappointment now evident in his voice.

"I wouldn't be very good company tonight. I'd just fall asleep on you," Cameron told him.

"And what's wrong with that?" Chase asked her.

"Nothing, but I know that a night of sleep isn't exactly what you had in mind," she replied with amusement.

"If you stayed over tonight, we could always do it in the morning before I leave for the airport…" Chase suggested.

Cameron chuckled. "Just the fact that you still call sex 'doing it' is funny to me," she told him.

"Ok, we could always MAKE LOVE in the morning before I leave," Chase drawled.

"That sounds even funnier," Cameron replied, holding back a grin.

Chase snorted. "Thanks a lot," he mumbled.

"You'll only be gone for five days. I'm sure you can manage," Cameron chided him.

"Can I get a rain check for phone sex during the week?" Chase asked her jauntily.

"I'll have to get back to you on that," Cameron said jokingly.

"Whatever happened to the girl who used to want to do me all over the hospital and in patient's homes with cats watching us?" Chase asked her, arching his eyebrow.

"She got into a real relationship with you," Cameron said on the other end of the phone, grinning.

Chase smirked. "Very funny," he replied.

"Have a safe trip," Cameron told him.

"Thanks," Chase replied.

He waited for her to hang up first. After she did so, Chase slumped his shoulders as he looked back down at the bed at his clothes.

He shook off his disappointment and continued packing his suitcase.

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The next morning at around 9:30 AM, House barged into Cuddy's office holding a patient's file in one hand, staring at the back of Cuddy's desk chair.

"I need to do an exploratory surgery on my patient," House stated.

Upon hearing House's demanding voice, Wilson turned around in Cuddy's chair with his head cocked to one side.

House furrowed his brow slightly upon seeing Wilson in Cuddy's chair.

"Cuddy. My how you've changed," House said sarcastically.

Wilson nodded his head slowly and folded his hands together, resting them on the top of Cuddy's desk while House absentmindedly looked around Cuddy's spotless office.

"Seriously. Where's Cuddy? I need her to approve this procedure for me," House said.

"Cuddy's not here. Show me the file," Wilson said.

House shot Wilson a bewildered look.

"My patient doesn't have Cancer. Ergo, my patient is not your concern," House said.

"If you need Cuddy's approval for an exploratory surgery that doesn't involve looking for Cancer, that means that your patient most likely doesn't NEED exploratory surgery and you're trying to convince the patient's family that he does so you can go rooting around for an imaginary tumor, " Wilson replied as patiently as he could.

"That speech would have been so much better if it was CUDDY that I was ignoring instead of you while you were giving it," House said.

"And at least with Cuddy, I can ogle her breasts while I'm ignoring her," House added.

"Well you're gonna have to wait until next week to ogle Cuddy's breasts," Wilson informed him.

House squinted his eyes, trying to make sense of what Wilson was saying.

"Cuddy's left for the AMA Conference in Boston this morning. She put me in charge for the next five days," Wilson explained.

House blinked his eyes twice.

"Ok. I'm going to walk out of this office and shake my head a few times. Then, I'm going to come back and Cuddy is going to leap out of wherever she's hiding—" House began.

"House—" Wilson interrupted.

"You know it's not very nice to play practical jokes on cripples," House said, ignoring Wilson.

"House, it's true," Wilson stated. "For the next five days, I'm your boss."

A curt chuckle escaped House's lips.

"This is a joke right? 'Punk'd at Princeton Plainsboro' or something like that?" House asked.

"If there's no tumor, you're not doing an exploratory surgery on your patient," Wilson told him firmly.

"Cuddy actually put you in charge of this place?" House asked incredulously.

"Why is that so hard to believe?" Wilson asked.

House had no desire to explain to Wilson the many answers to Wilson's question. Instead, he turned to leave Cuddy's office.

"Forget it. I'll just go harass Chase to do the procedure. He always gives into me anyway," House muttered.

"Not this time he won't," Wilson stated.

House turned back, slightly interest.

"Chase is submitting to your reign of terror?" House asked.

"Chase isn't here this week either," Wilson replied.

A look of slight appeared on House's face as he put two and two together.

"He's going to the conference with Cuddy," Wilson told him.

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At around the same time that morning, Chase and Cuddy were sitting at the gate in Newark airport waiting to board their shuttle.

Chase was doing the New York Times crossword puzzle while Cuddy was reading a romance novel she had purchased in one of the shops when Cuddy's cell phone rang in her purse.

As she looked at the caller ID on her cell, she grimaced.

"Three guesses," Cuddy said sardonically to Chase, who looked up from his puzzle as she answered her phone.

"What do you want?" Cuddy said into her phone.

"Hope you remembered to pack your lacy thong panties for your hedonistic week with Chase," House said as he sat in Cuddy's chair after kicking Wilson out of it.

"It's a medical conference and thank you for taking such a keen interest in my underwear," Cuddy replied.

Chase raised his eyebrows at her comment. Cuddy turned towards back to Chase, who immediately darted his eyes back to his crossword.

"Smart move, putting Wilson in charge," House said on the other end.

"And why do you say that?" Cuddy asked him.

"Because you know that he'll pretty much give into anything I want, which will make sure that I behave this week," House said.

Cuddy grinned in response but didn't say anything.

"Unless of course he DOESN'T give into everything I want, which is what he did this morning…" House trailed off.

"What didn't he let you do?" Cuddy asked him impatiently.

"My patients needs an exploratory surgery," House explained.

"Does your patient have Cancer?" Cuddy asked.

"… not that we can see," House mumbled reluctantly.

"Then no exploratory surgery," Cuddy replied.

"Put Chase on the phone," House demanded. "He'll agree with me."

"No," Cuddy shot back in disgust.

House rolled his eyes. "There could be a tumor that's not showing up on the CT," House argued.

"Then do an MRI," Cuddy told him.

"There's a four hour wait for the MRI," House told her.

"Then I guess you're just going to have to wait your turn," Cuddy said patronizingly, her grin growing broader.

Chase cracked a smile as he continued to do his crossword puzzle. He would never admit it to anyone, but he thoroughly enjoyed the game that House and Cuddy had always played over the years.

"You know what happens when the baby doesn't get his bottle. He gets cranky," House said in a low voice.

At this, Cuddy's grin disappeared.

"House, you'd better respect Wilson for the next five days or you'll be assigned to double Clinic duty for the next five months," Cuddy told him.

"That's not much of a threat, considering that I'll just have my team do the hours for me," House shot back.

"And if your team does one MINUTE of that Clinic duty, I'll TRIPLE your hours," Cuddy replied. "You'll be up to your armpits in runny noses and crotch rot."

House said nothing on the other end while Chase laughed as quietly as he could.

"Do you understand me?" Cuddy asked him.

"Yes, mistress," House mumbled.

"Good," Cuddy said before hanging up her phone.

House hung up the phone on her desk and stared at Wilson, who was sitting on Cuddy's couch.

"I take it she's not letting you do the surgery," Wilson said.

"You figure that out all on your own?" House snarked.

"Face it, House. Even while Cuddy's away, she still owns you," Wilson said triumphantly.

At Wilson's comment, a slow smile crept across House's face.

He opened the top drawer of Cuddy's desk and rummaged through a few of the papers until he found exactly what he was looking for.

He then picked up the receiver to the phone on her desk and dialed a phone number that he was reading off the paper he had found in her drawer.

"What are you doing?" Wilson asked him curiously.

House didn't answer him and waited patiently for someone on the other end to pick up the phone.

"Yes, hi. I'm calling for Dr. Lisa Cuddy. She's a guest at your hotel this week, correct?" House said in a friendly manner to the person on the other end.

Wilson arched his eyebrow.

"I'm her personal assistant. She told me to cancel her room reservation for the week," House continued.

Wilson's jaw dropped slightly. "… don't do this," Wilson warned.

"You need her credit card number? That's no problem," House said to the person on the other end, continuing to ignore Wilson.

Wilson watched in shock as House recited Cuddy's American Express card number from memory into the phone.

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"What do you MEAN, you have no record of my reservation?" Cuddy demanded of the young female clerk who looked incredibly frightened behind the front desk at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

"I'm sorry Dr. Cuddy, but you're no longer in our computer," The clerk stammered.

"Do I still have a reservation?" Chase asked the young woman at the desk from his position standing next to Cuddy.

Cuddy shot Chase a glaring look at his question as the clerk pulled up Chase's room on the computer.

"… Yes, Dr. Chase. Your room is still confirmed," The woman replied after checking the database.

"There must be some mistake. I made both of our reservations at the same time," Cuddy said with irritation.

"Well, we only have a record of Dr. Chase's reservation. I'm sorry," The young woman said.

"I'd like to speak to your manager, please," Cuddy said in an authoritative tone of voice.

"Certainly," the woman said as she left her post, relieved to have an excuse to get away from Cuddy.

A few moments later, the hotel manager appeared. After a few moments of searching the database, he nodded as he stared at the screen.

"We have your reservation, Dr. Cuddy," the manager told her.

"See, I told you there was a mistake—" Cuddy told Chase and the young woman.

"But it's been cancelled," the manager clarified.

"CANCELLED?" Cuddy exclaimed.

"According to our records, your assistant called at 9:45 and cancelled your reservation," the manager told her.

"I don't HAVE an assistant—" Cuddy began.

But then she stopped herself in mid sentence as she realized in horror who had called the hotel posing as her assistant.

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A few minutes later, House picked up the ringing phone in Cuddy's office.

"Cuddy's Pleasure Palace," House answered, knowing exactly who was on the other end.

"DID YOU CANCEL MY HOTEL RESERVATION?!" Cuddy demanded over the phone.

"Are you going to let me do the surgery on my patient?" House replied.

"No," Cuddy stated firmly.

"Then yes, I did cancel your reservation," House replied.

"All the hotels in the area are booked solid!" Cuddy exclaimed.

"Well then it looks like you and Chase are gonna be roommates for the week," House told her calmly.

Cuddy glanced at Chase, who had a quizzical look on his face as he tried to figure out what House could have possibly been telling her.

"Hope Chase doesn't snore," House said before hanging up.

TBC…

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	3. Chapter 3

**OK, EVERYONE! HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**I AM SO HAPPY THAT I HAVE SO MANY READERS!  
**

**PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW AND ENJOY!! **

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CHAPTER 3: Please read and comment.

House hung up Cuddy's phone with a slightly evil grin on his face.

"You never cease to amaze me," Wilson said.

"Nor I myself," House replied almost proudly.

Just then, Foreman walked into Cuddy's office, holding their current patient's file.

"Did you get the ok to do the exploratory surgery?" Foreman asked.

"Daddy won't let us play with anything sharp," House snarked, motioning to Wilson with his chin.

"Because your patient doesn't have Cancer," Wilson argued vehemently.

"Can I borrow the car? I promise to be home by ten," House said sarcastically, flashing Wilson his best puppy dog eyes.

"No exploratory surgery," Wilson said to Foreman, ignoring House's comment.

Foreman nodded at Wilson and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," House called out to Foreman.

Foreman stopped in his tracks and reluctantly turned back around to face House.

"You KNEW that Cuddy was going on this conference?" House asked Foreman incredulously.

"Sure," Foreman replied with a slight shrug.

"Did you know that Chase was going with her?" House asked agitatedly.

"… Yeah… why?" Foreman asked, not understanding why House was getting so irritated.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" House demanded.

"You mean BESIDES the fact that you would have tormented Chase and Cuddy until they left for Boston?" Foreman asked him.

"He's still tormenting them," Wilson muttered.

Foreman raised an eyebrow with interest at Wilson.

"He canceled Cuddy's room reservation at their hotel. She's staying in Chase's room for the week," Wilson explained.

Foreman chuckled slightly in amusement and folded his arms across his chest.

"Never pegged you as a matchmaker," Foreman commented to House.

"What does that mean?" House asked him, confused.

"You HONESTLY think that nothing is going to happen between Chase and Cuddy if they're forced to share a hotel room together?" Foreman asked.

House shook his head and scoffed at Foreman.

"Chase would never cheat on Cameron and Cuddy would never sleep with one of her employees," House said dismissively.

"Chase and Cameron are having problems and Cuddy is a single adult who hasn't been in a relationship since I started working here," Foreman pointed out.

At first, House was ready with a comeback of his own at Foreman's comment.

But as Foreman's words sunk in, House's mouth gaped open ever so slightly, suddenly realizing what he had done.

And Wilson noticed this.

"I'm going back to Radiology to see if we can get our MRI sooner," Foreman said.

House nodded absentmindedly and Foreman left Cuddy's office.

Wilson stared at House with a look of epiphany on his face.

"You're in love with Cuddy!" Wilson declared excitedly.

House snapped out of his haze and stared at Wilson.

"Your fly's open," House mumbled, hoping to divert Wilson from his current thoughts.

Wilson quickly looked down at his pants to see that, in fact, his zipper was indeed open. He quickly zipped it up and continued talking.

"According to Freud… and I'm paraphrasing…instinct of love toward an object demands a mastery to obtain it, and if a person feels they can't control the object or feel threatened by it, they act negatively toward it," Wilson said.

House rolled his eyes in disgust. "Like an eighth-grade boy punching a girl?" he asked.

"That's… a good analogy," Wilson admitted.

"Yeah. That's because Cameron used the same argument on me when she forced me to take her out on a date five years ago. You guys read the same pop- psychology magazine or something?" House asked.

Wilson smirked in amusement.

"Face it. You're in love with Cuddy. And because you're completely incapable of expressing your feelings for her in a healthy way, you've been making her life miserable instead," Wilson declared.

"Hopefully your little stunt didn't ruin any chances you may have had with her," Wilson added.

When House didn't reply, Wilson turned around and left Cuddy's office, leaving House alone at Cuddy's desk, completely dismissing what Wilson had just said as the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Around ten minutes later, Chase slowly opened the door to his and now Cuddy's hotel room at the Hyatt Regency. Holding the heavy door with one arm, he allowed Cuddy to enter the room first.

After Cuddy and Chase were inside, Chase let go of the door. The weight of it caused it to shut behind them loudly, startling Cuddy. She jumped slightly and spun her head around to stare at Chase, her eyes wide.

"… Sorry," Chase mumbled awkwardly, shrinking into himself.

Cuddy exhaled and surveyed the room.

Modest and clean, the hotel room was in the shape of a square, decorated in earth tones. There was an armoire with two dresser drawers. On the top of the armoire, there was a space filled with a console TV inside it. On the far wall, there was a window looking out onto the city of Boston with a slight view of the Charles River. On the far left corner, a small round table with two chairs.

But the queen size bed took up most of the space in the room.

Chase and Cuddy stared at the bed, saying nothing for a few minutes until Chase broke the silence between them.

"I'll… call down to the front desk for them to send up a cot," Chase said as off- handedly as he could

Cuddy turned to him and nodded.

Chase took his large canvas travel bag off his shoulder and placed it on the floor. He then sat on the left side of the bed and picked up the phone, pressing the speed dial for the front desk.

Cuddy remained standing, refusing to sit down on the bed, listening to Chase as he politely asked the staff over the phone to send up a cot to 'their' room.  "They're sending it up in a few minutes," Chase told her, hanging up the phone.

Cuddy nodded again.

Chase looked at her with amusement. "You CAN sit down on the bed, you know," he teased her.

Cuddy chuckled, appreciating Chase's attempt to add levity to the awkward situation. She placed her suitcase and garment bag on the bed and then sat down on the edge of the bed gingerly.

"You want the top or the bottom?" Chase asked her.

Cuddy felt her breath catch in her throat at Chase's question.

"… Excuse me?" she managed to ask.

Chase jutted his chin at the armoire. "For your clothes," he explained. "Do you want the top drawer or the bottom drawer in the armoire?"

"Oh," Cuddy replied with a nervous laugh. "Umm… I don't care either way. You can be on top if you prefer—"

"I don't care. I can take the bottom," Chase interrupted good- naturedly.

Their eyes met briefly.

And then they both burst out laughing.

"Could you imagine if House heard this conversation?" Chase asked. "We'd never hear the end of it."

"Well it's a good thing I'll be murdering him when we get back to Princeton, then," Cuddy replied.

"You're not gonna murder him," Chase stated with a smirk.

Cuddy sighed. "I know," she said.

"Why do you let him get away with this kind of crap?" Chase asked her.

"Because over the years, I've learned to pick my battles with House," Cuddy replied.

Chase nodded in understanding, smiling slightly.

"I'm going to start unpacking," Cuddy said, getting off the bed.

Chase nodded and watched her thoughtfully as she unzipped her garment bag and began hanging up her designer suits in the closet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Around twenty minutes later, after Chase and Cuddy had put away all their clothes, Chase was sitting on the bed, his legs stretched out in front of him, looking through the Boston area guidebook while Cuddy was sitting at the small round table going over the itinerary of the conference.

Cuddy had changed out of the jeans and sweatshirt she had worn on the plane into a navy skirt and coordinating tweed jacket with a white cotton camisole underneath and navy pumps.

"We've got the meet and greet luncheon in fifteen minutes. You should probably get changed," Cuddy said to Chase, who was still wearing a long sleeved t- shirt and jeans.

"Yes mum," Chase teased, not looking up from the guidebook.

At that moment, there was a knock at their hotel room door. Chase uncrossed his ankles and got up from the bed to answer the door. Upon opening it, he saw a young man wearing a uniform with an annoyed look on his face.

"You call up for a cot?" the young man asked.

"Yep," Chase said, moving out of the way to allow the young man to enter the room.

The guy nodded and walked into the room holding the cot. Without asking any further questions, he unfolded the cot in one motion, opening it up, revealing a rather thin and unsupportive mattress. As he did, the metal hinges of the cot creaked loudly. Chase winced at the grating sound of the creaking metal.

Cuddy looked up from her itinerary and examined the cot as the hotel employee turned to leave the room.

"Wait a minute," Cuddy said, getting up from her chair.

The young man turned around, still wearing the irritated expression on his face.

"Chase, there's NO WAY I'm letting you sleep on that," Cuddy declared.

"Why not?" Chase asked.

"Because if you sleep on that it'll either give you the worst backache or it'll collapse right under you," Cuddy replied.

"Dr. Cuddy, it's fine, really—" Chase began.

"Do you want the cot or not?" the young man asked with irritation.

"No, we don't," Cuddy stated firmly.

The guy shrugged, muttered something to himself, folded up the cot and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"So… I guess I'm getting the floor, then?" Chase asked.

"You're sleeping in the bed," Cuddy told him.

Chase's eyebrows raised slightly.

"…Then… where are YOU gonna sleep?" Chase asked her with confusion.

"In the bed," Cuddy replied simply.

At this, Chase's eyebrows shot up even further.

"Chase, the hotel manager assured us that if there's a cancellation that I would be the first one to get a room," Cuddy told him.

And I think we're both mature enough to share a bed until then without it turning into something," Cuddy added pointedly.

"Now go get changed. I don't want us to be late for the luncheon," Cuddy told him.

"...I actually think I'm gonna have a shower," Chase said. "Why don't you go down and I'll meet you there?"

Cuddy shrugged. "Ok," she said.

Chase nodded and headed for the bathroom. Once he was inside, he turned on the water.

As the water in the shower began to heat up, he heard Cuddy leave the room, the door closing behind her.

He then walked out of the bathroom and back to the bed. Seeing his cell phone on the night- stand, he picked it up and began to scroll through his stored numbers.

Once he found Cameron's cell number, he thought of the best way to break the news to Cameron that he would be sharing a bed with Cuddy for the next few days.

But after a few moments of staring at her number, he decided against it, closed the phone and laid it back on the night- stand before heading back to the bathroom.

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR SUCH WONDERFUL REVIEWS!**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**PLEASE READ, COMMENT AND ENJOY!!**

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**CHAPTER 4:**

That night, after a luncheon, three seminars, a cocktail hour, dinner, and a walk around the hotel, Cuddy and Chase were back in their room.

Cuddy was in the bathroom. She had just finished brushing her teeth. She placed her toothbrush in the empty glass on the vanity, which also held Chase's toothbrush.

For some reason, staring at the two toothbrushes in the glass gave her an uneasy feeling. She immediately removed her toothbrush from the glass and placed it back in the plastic travel toothbrush case she had brought with her.

She then glared at herself in the mirror.

"NICE GOING, LISA," she thought to herself sarcastically as she gazed at her reflection.

She was wearing what she usually slept in—a white, whispery soft baby doll nightie with thin straps. The scoop neckline revealed just a hint of the cleavage that House drew attention to on a daily basis and a hemline that came down just to the top of her thighs.

And she had neglected to bring the hotel's complimentary bathrobe into the bathroom with her to change into her sleepwear.

She glanced at the hotel towels that were neatly folded on the shelf situated above the toilet. For a moment, she thought about wrapping one of the towels around her waist to hide her legs and the hemline that barely covered them.

But she dismissed the thought immediately.

"CHASE'LL THINK I'M AN IDIOT IF I DO THAT," Lisa thought.

She looked at herself again, standing up a little straighter.

"WHAT AM I DOING? I HAVE NOTHING TO BE EMBARRASSED ABOUT. THIS IS A PERFECTLY NORMAL THING TO WEAR TO BED AND CHASE IS A DOCTOR. IT'S NOT LIKE I HAVE ANYTHING THAT HE HASN'T SEEN BEFORE," she convinced herself.

With that, she opened the door to the bathroom, turned off the light and confidently strode out into the room.

And at that moment, everything that she had convinced herself of two seconds ago in front of the bathroom mirror immediately disappeared when she laid eyes on Chase.

He was sitting up half-way in the bed, leaning on his left elbow, the blanket covering the lower half of his body as he flipped through the channels of the TV with the remote.

He wasn't wearing a shirt.

The well- toned muscles in his shoulders, arms, smooth chest and abdomen were visible. His blond hair was tousled ever so slightly, several blond locks sexily falling in his face.

Cuddy hated that her breath had actually caught in her throat upon seeing Chase.

Upon her entrance into the room, Chase turned his head towards her.

His eyes almost bugged out of his head when he saw her.

Almost automatically, his eyes began to explore the curves and elegant lines of her body that were delicately framed by the nightie, but he stopped himself and quickly darted his eyes back to her face.

"…I wasn't exactly expecting company," Cuddy said with attempted levity.

Chase swallowed hard and smiled sheepishly.

"… Neither was I," he replied, thanking some deity that he had remembered to pack pajama pants and that the lower half of his body was currently covered up underneath the thick hotel blanket and sheets.

Cuddy remained standing a few feet from the bed, shifting her weight uncomfortably. Chase smirked in response.

"So are you planning on sleeping standing up tonight?" Chase teased her.

Cuddy smirked back and began to walk towards the bed.

Chase casually peeled back a corner of the hotel blanket, making her stop in mid- step. For some reason, she was oddly moved by the simple gesture.

After a moment, she collected herself and climbed into the bed with Chase. She tucked her bare legs and feet underneath the blanket, covering them and crossing her ankles, sitting upright. Chase kept his casual position on his elbow, facing her.

There was at least a foot of space between them in the bed.

For a few moments, neither of them said anything.

"You… wanna watch a movie or something?" Cuddy finally suggested, turning towards Chase, wondering if he worked out at home or at a gym.

"…Not unless you want to," Chase replied with a shrug, wondering the same thing about Cuddy.

"Anything good on?" Cuddy asked him, attempting to relax.

Chase flipped a few channels on the remote.

"'The Bourne Supremacy'… or… 'Matchpoint,'" Chase told her.

"Let's watch 'The Bourne Supremacy,'" Cuddy offered quickly, her mind suddenly replaying all the seductive scenes in 'Matchpoint.'

"Ok," Chase said good- naturedly. He then turned the channel back to the movie and focused back on the TV, silently willing the growing bulge in his pants to shrink.

As both Chase and Cuddy became engrossed in the movie, they both seemed to relax. Cuddy shifted her body down to a half- lying down position, resting her head on the pillow. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Around a half- hour later, Cuddy was lying almost completely on her back, her hand propping up her head as she tried to stay awake enough to focus on the movie. Chase eyes were completely glued to the screen.

Chase glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and smiled slightly.

"What?" Cuddy said.

"Glad to see you're finally relaxing a bit," Chase remarked.

"I can't help it. I'm exhausted," Cuddy admitted.

"Yeah, me too," Chase agreed.

"Have you ever seen this movie before?" Cuddy asked him.

"Yeah a few times," Chase replied.

"How does it end?" Cuddy asked.

"I'm not gonna tell you that," Chase told her jauntily.

"Oh, come on. I'm exhausted. I won't be able to stay awake to see the rest of this!" Cuddy pleaded.

"Then you'll just have to see it again," Chase told her with a dazzling smile.

Cuddy grimaced and turned back to the TV.

"So did you speak to Cameron?" Cuddy asked.

Chase looked down at the blanket briefly and then back at the TV.

"… I uh, tried her earlier. Couldn't get through," Chase said off- handedly.

Cuddy grinned broadly. "You're a lousy liar, Chase," she declared.

Chase took his attention away from the TV and gave her a lopsided grin.

"Somehow I couldn't find the exact right words to explain to her that I'm sleeping with my boss," Chase told her.

Cuddy chuckled slightly. She then rested her head on her pillow, draping her arm over the blanket while the rest of it covered her.

"Do you snore?" Cuddy asked him with a soft smile.

"No," Chase replied, returning her smile with one of his own.

"Good," Cuddy said before closing her eyes. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Several hours later, at around 3 AM, Cuddy was wide awake.

Chase was fast asleep beside her on his back.

He was snoring extremely loudly.

"Everybody lies," Cuddy muttered.

"CHASE!" Cuddy hissed loudly.

Chase didn't move an inch and was still snoring like a buzz saw.

Cuddy roughly elbowed Chase in the ribs, hoping he would turn over onto his stomach and stop his snoring.

But instead, Chase sat up suddenly with a dazed expression on his face.

"…What?!" Chase said in confusion, unable to focus on Cuddy's face.

"You're snoring," Cuddy told him.

"No I'm not," Chase said, still dazed, shaking his head.

Cuddy rolled her eyes.

"Just turn over," Cuddy said in annoyance.

Chase nodded, exhaled deeply and turned away from her onto his stomach.

As he did, he roughly pulled the blanket they were sharing over himself and off of Cuddy's body, leaving her with hardly any of it left to cover herself.

Cuddy stared at Chase in disgust and tried to pull the blanket back from him, but she couldn't. Chase, now back in his deep sleep seemed to have a death grip on the blanket.

Chase resumed snoring once more.

"CHASE," Cuddy said aloud.

Chase didn't respond and was still snoring.

"CHASE!" Cuddy exclaimed, pulling as hard as she could on the blanket.

Somehow, she managed to pull Chase along with the blanket, causing him to roll over on top of her in his sleep. Cuddy felt as if the wind was knocked out of her as Chase felt like dead weight on her body.

"…Chase… get off me," Cuddy managed to say, pushing him off of her with all of her strength.

He stirred and shifted his weight off of her in his sleep, murmuring something unintelligible.

Cuddy exhaled in relief.

But then she gasped in utter shock as she felt Chase spoon up behind her, placing his left arm around her.

Still asleep, Chase cupped her left breast with his left hand over her nightie.

Before she could react, she could feel Chase's thumb graze its way over her nipple over the fabric. He murmured again, seemingly happy.

She could feel his erection through his pajama pants pressed against the back of her panties.

Cuddy gasped in shock again as her nipple suddenly became erect. A flood of moisture involuntarily gathered between her legs.

Cuddy sharply turned her head towards Chase.

He was still asleep, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.  "Chase…" Cuddy said, barely above a whisper.

Chase slowly opened his eyes, the smile on his face still evident.

Their eyes met.

Chase suddenly became aware of the fact that he was snuggling his boss.

Chase then slowly looked down at his hand, which was still holding Cuddy's breast.

"OHMYGOD!" Chase yelped.

He quickly let go of her breast and jumped out of the bed in almost one motion. His face and neck were already deeply flushed with embarrassment.

His erection shrank like a frightened turtle.

Cuddy was not only shocked that Chase could move that fast, but that he seemed to react to her breast as if it were cyanide.

"Dr. Cuddy! I'm so sorry!" Chase apologized quickly, his hands out in front of him.

"Chase, it's all right—" Cuddy assured him.

"I was asleep. I didn't realize what I was doing—" Chase continued to babble on.

"I said it's all right, Chase," Cuddy repeated calmly.

Chase was frozen in his stance near the bed. He had no idea if he should leave the room, run to the bathroom or just quit his job right there and then.

Cuddy merely sighed in exasperation.

"I'm not going to sue you for sexual harassment if that's what you're worried about," Cuddy assured him.

Chase blinked twice. He hadn't even considered that possibility.

"…Are… are you gonna fire me?" Chase asked worriedly.

"For sleeping? If that was the case, House would have been fired years ago," Cuddy said with a smirk.

At this, Chase exhaled deeply in relief.

"Now stop standing there like a deer caught in the headlights and come back in the bed," Cuddy told him.

"Dr. Cuddy… if it's all the same to you, I think I'll sleep on the floor for the rest of the night—" Chase began.

"You're NOT sleeping on the floor," Cuddy said in her best Dean of Medicine voice.

Chase flopped his head down and raked his hand through his hair nervously. He didn't move from his spot, standing a few feet away from the bed.

"Fine. If you're happy on the floor, I'm not gonna argue with you. I'm going back to sleep," Cuddy muttered.

She then rolled over away from Chase, her back facing him.

Chase remained standing, having no idea what he should do.

He then exhaled loudly, knowing that he had no desire to sleep on the floor either, and reluctantly climbed back into the bed.

"How did we wind up… like that?" Chase asked Cuddy tentatively.

"You were snoring and hogging the covers. I tried to get them away from you," Cuddy explained, still facing away from Chase.

"And… that's how I wound up with your breast in my hand?" Chase asked incredulously.

"You were obviously dreaming about Cameron and thought I was her," Cuddy said, dismissively. "Don't read too much into it."

"… Yeah…" Chase said hesitatingly.

Cuddy turned back around to face him.

"Chase, it's after 3 AM. Can we go to sleep and forget about this?" Cuddy asked him impatiently.

"… S- sure," Chase said.

"Good. Now good- night," Cuddy said perfunctorily, rolling back away from him.

"G' night," Chase mumbled.

As Cuddy began to drift back to sleep, Chase suddenly realized that while he was fondling his boss's soft, supple breast, his erection pressed against her a$$, that he hadn't been dreaming about Cameron at all.

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

**HEY EVERYONE!**

**THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR GREAT COMMENTS! I RESPONDED TO ALL OF THEM :-)**

**AND HERE'S ANOTHER CHAPTER! PLEASE READ, COMMENT AND ENJOY!! **

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** CHAPTER 5: Please read and comment.**

Next morning, Chase woke up alone in the queen size bed that he and Cuddy had shared the night before. The blanket was rumpled up on Cuddy's side of the bed.

"SHE MUST BE IN THE SHOWER," Chase thought to himself.

But then it occurred to him that he didn't hear the water running in the bathroom.

Chase reached over to the nightstand for his wrist- watch. He blinked his eyes a few times, trying to focus on the time it was displaying.

His eyes widened tremendously when he realized that it was ten minutes to nine.

According to the conference itinerary that Cuddy had read to him last night, there was a breakfast scheduled at 9 AM that morning that he was supposed to attend.

As he scrambled out of the bed and headed for the shower, he began to wonder why Cuddy didn't bother to wake him up.

"SHE CAN'T BE ANGRY ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT," Chase thought to himself. "I APOLOGIZED. SHE KNEW I WAS ASLEEP AND HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS DOING."

But when he opened the door to the bathroom, he saw that the only towel that Cuddy had left for him for a shower that morning was a washcloth.

At that moment, he began to think that his assumption about Cuddy may have been wrong.

Chase left the bathroom to see if there were any extra towels in the front closet. To his disappointment, the only thing resembling a towel was one of the complimentary white terry cloth bathrobes.

Knowing that he didn't have enough time to wait for a member of the hotel staff to bring up extra towels, Chase grabbed the bathrobe and quickly headed back to the bathroom. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Around five minutes later and after the quickest shower he had ever taken in his life, Chase was furiously removing the excess water from his hair with the washcloth when he stepped out of the bathroom.

He was holding the hotel bathrobe around his waist when he heard his cell phone chime, indicating a voice mail.

His skin and hair still slightly damp, Chase picked up his cell phone off the dresser, dialed his voice mail and waited for the message.

He felt his stomach rise up into his throat when he heard Cameron's voice.

"Hey, it's me. Give me a call when you get my message," Cameron's cheery recorded voice said through his phone.

Chase closed his phone, still unsure of how to tell Cameron that he had slept in the same bed with Cuddy last night.

But he was absolutely positive that he was not going to tell Cameron that he had a raging hard- on while he was groping Cuddy's breast in his sleep. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

A few moments earlier, Cameron closed her cell phone while she was sitting at the triage station down in the ER.

She had just left Chase a message and she found it slightly odd that he hadn't answered or called her the night before.

"Maybe he's in the shower," Cameron mused aloud as she directed her attention back to the paperwork in front of her.

"Chase didn't tell you, did he?" an all- too familiar voice said.

Cameron looked up and saw House standing in front of her, leaning on his cane.

"Tell me what?" Cameron said, plastering the slightly annoyed and mildly amused look she always wore when House came down to the ER to harass her.

"That he's shacking up with Cuddy for the week," House said.

At first, Cameron didn't quite comprehend what House had just told her.

"…What?" Cameron asked him, scrunching up her face in confusion.

"Her room reservation got cancelled," House said matter of factly.

Cameron arched her eyebrow in suspicion at House.

"… Somehow," House added vaguely.

"You…canceled Cuddy's room reservation at the conference?" Cameron clarified.

"Chase didn't tell you, did he?" House repeated.

"Why would you do that?" Cameron asked, ignoring House's question.

House didn't reply and continued to stare at her, waiting for her to crack.

Cameron shrugged slightly. "… I haven't heard from him since he left for Boston yesterday," Cameron replied casually.

"Which means he didn't tell you," House stated.

Cameron glared at House in exasperation.

"He's not purposely keeping it from me. He probably was exhausted after the traveling and all the seminars—" Cameron began.

"Hot sex with your boss can be exhausting, too," House interrupted flatly.

Cameron laughed curtly. "Yeah, I'm sure it is," she said sarcastically.

"Is Chase usually on the bottom?" House asked, goading her on.

"He didn't sleep with Cuddy," Cameron said dismissively, a smile playing on her lips to show House how ridiculous he was being.

"You have no proof of that," House told her.

The smile disappeared from Cameron's face.

"I TRUST him. And he has no reason to cheat on me," Cameron said in a more serious tone.

House's crystal- blue eyes bore into Cameron's green eyes as he stepped a few inches closer to her.

"You're really that naïve?" House asked her.

Cameron stared right back at him.

"Why do you always think the worst of people?" Cameron asked coldly.

"Past experience of living on this planet," House replied without missing a beat, keeping his eyes locked on her.

"What I don't understand is why YOU always think the BEST of people," House said.

Before Cameron could answer him, he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned around to see Wilson standing behind him.

"We need to talk," Wilson said to him firmly.

House stuck out his lower lip with interest. He then turned back to Cameron.

"Apparently I was naughty," House told her.

With that, House left the ER with Wilson, Cameron watching them thoughtfully as they left.

Once they had left the ER, Cameron picked up her cell phone and dialed Chase's cell number once more.

And just like the last time, his phone went to voice mail. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Chase exited the elevator on the second floor of the Hyatt Regency. He followed the signs that led to the Grand Ballroom, where the convention breakfast was scheduled.

As he began to jog in the direction of the Ballroom, he heard his cell phone ring again in his pants pocket. He quickly took it out and glanced at the number.

Cameron was calling him again.

"I'LL CALL HER LATER," Chase thought to himself, shoving the phone back into his pocket.

Once he found the Grand Ballroom, he opened up one of the large oak double doors.

The room was almost completely filled to capacity, and the din of many voices could be heard at once. Along the walls, there were multiple serving stations with uniformed waiters and sous- chefs serving various breakfast foods to the other attendees of the conference. In the middle of the room were a multitude of round tables, where some people were already eating and engaged in conversation with other doctors and health care professionals.

Chase scanned the room for Cuddy, but because there were so many people, he couldn't find her.

But from her vantage point at the omelet station, Cuddy could see Chase perfectly. He was wearing a tan jacket and pants, a light pink shirt, a black tie with red dots on it and brown shoes.

As usual, his hair, although slightly damp, was perfect.

"HOW CAN SOMEONE LOOK THAT CUTE IN CLOTHES LIKE THAT?" Cuddy wondered to herself.

As Cuddy continued to look in his direction, somehow Chase instinctively knew to turn his head towards her.

He gave her a feeble lopsided grin and she promptly turned her head away from him, focusing on the line of people in front of her waiting to be served.

"GREAT," Chase muttered to himself.

Knowing that he couldn't avoid his boss for the rest of the week, he began to walk over towards her. Seeing that she was the last one on the line at the omelet station, he got on the line behind her.

"Hi," Chase said to her in a friendly manner.

"Hi," Cuddy replied in a business- like manner, not bothering to turn around to face him.

Chase exhaled through his nose and slumped his shoulders slightly as the line began to move forward. Cuddy ordered an egg- white omelet with various vegetables and low- fat cheese while Chase placed his order for a Western omelet.

Chase kept his gaze on Cuddy as she seemed fascinated with the technique that the omelet chef was using to prepare her breakfast.

A few moments later, Cuddy took her plate and walked over to another station that was serving fresh fruit, not bothering to wait for Chase. As she served herself some honeydew and cantaloupe, Chase joined her at the station, holding his own plate, staring at her, his eyes demanding an explanation.

Cuddy refused to look at him.

"Either say something or quit staring at me," Cuddy told him.

"I woke up and you were gone," Chase said in a slightly hurt tone of voice.

At this, Cuddy turned towards him with surprise.

"Not used to waking up alone?" Cuddy snarked.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Chase demanded.

"Didn't realize I was your mother," Cuddy replied, slightly abrasive.

"Are you angry at me?" Chase demanded.

"Why would you think that?" Cuddy asked him coolly.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe because I sexually assaulted you in your sleep last night?" Chase blurted out.

Cuddy looked around nervously to make sure that no one else had heard what Chase had just said. She then grabbed the sleeve of Chase's jacket and dragged him to a corner of the room.

"You didn't sexually assault me," Cuddy said in a hushed whisper.

"Then why are you being so curt with me and why didn't you leave me a towel for the shower—" Chase began.

"This really isn't the appropriate time or place to discuss this, Chase," Cuddy interrupted him, using the same business- like tone she had used before.

Chase moved his head back slightly. He then reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"Fair enough," Chase admitted.

"Let's get a table before we have nowhere to sit," Cuddy said in exasperation.

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Almost two hours later, Chase and Cuddy were sitting in the back row of one of the Hyatt Regency's large convention center room, listening to a presentation on why 46 million Americans were still uninsured.

While Cuddy seemed to be fascinated with the presentation, Chase was chewing on the end of the pen he was holding, his mind was racing with how he could possibly get back into Cuddy's good graces again.

And as he did so, he couldn't stop glancing down at Cuddy's legs every few minutes.

Cuddy was wearing a black Chanel fitted suit jacket with a Navajo white lacy camisole underneath. A Navajo white Chanel pencil skirt and black stiletto pumps completed her look. Even though the lights were dim in the conference room, he could tell that her toned and shapely legs were bare.

He shut his eyes and shook his head ever so slightly, trying to dismiss the thought of what kind of panties she might have been wearing underneath her skirt. He glanced up at Cuddy's face to see if she noticed his head shake. Thankfully she didn't.

He took the pen out of his mouth and scrawled something on his printed conference program. He then nudged Cuddy gently with his elbow and placed the program in front of her.

Cuddy looked over at Chase and then down at the program.

"ARE YOU AS BORED AS I AM?" Chase had written on the paper.

Cuddy chuckled softly once. She took Chase's pen out of his hand and wrote her own message back to him, giving him back the program.

"WORSE," Cuddy's reply read.

Chase smirked and took his pen back from her, writing his reply underneath hers.

"THEN LET'S GET OUTTA HERE," Chase wrote back.

Cuddy stared at him as if he was insane. She leaned closer to him, willing herself to ignore the intoxicating smell of Chase's cologne and shower gel.

"We can't just leave," Cuddy whispered.

"Why? Are they taking attendance?" Chase whispered back, leaning over even closer to her.

"It wouldn't be right," Cuddy whispered.

"There's five hundred people in here. No one's gonna miss us," Chase argued, still whispering.

"I'm not leaving," Cuddy stated firmly in a tone slightly louder than a whisper, which met with a rude "shhhh" from the people sitting in front of her.

Chase shrugged. "Suit yourself," Chase whispered.

Cuddy was completely taken aback as Chase got up from his seat, and walked right in front of her to exit their row, brushing by her legs as he did so.

She stared at him incredulously as he walked out of the convention center. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 A few moments later, Cuddy stormed out of the convention center with the intent of scouring the entire hotel and the Greater Boston area to find Chase.

But she didn't have to look very far.

Chase was leaning against the opposite wall, his hands in his pants pockets and his head cocked to one side, staring at her, as if waiting for her to make her appearance.

"You can't just walk out of a seminar," Cuddy told him angrily as she strode up to him in the empty hallway.

"I just did," Chase replied impishly.

"I didn't bring you to this conference to bail out on the lectures," Cuddy told him.

"You brought me on this conference to present a case. NOT to listen to other people's presentations," Chase replied.

"You're almost as bad as House," Cuddy told him.

"The key word in that sentence being 'almost,'" Chase replied, a smirk playing on his lips.

Cuddy tilted her jaw up slightly.

"Fine. Don't go back to the seminar. But you're going to the luncheon afterwards and all of the afternoon panels," Cuddy told him, turning on her heel to go back into the convention center.

"Great. I'm just SO looking forward to cold chicken, wilted lettuce, ice water, and you treating me like crap for the rest of the day," Chase declared sarcastically.

Cuddy turned back to Chase, her firm resolve starting to fade.

She knew that she couldn't continue to hide her true feelings about what had happened between them last night.

But she didn't want to discuss it in the hallway.

"…You know a better place in this city that we can go for lunch?" Cuddy asked tentatively.

Chase slowly flashed her a dazzling smile.

"...As a matter of fact…" Chase said, trailing off.

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

**THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS!!!**

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**PLEASE READ, COMMENT AND ENJOY!! **

 ***************************************************** 

**CHAPTER 6: Please read and comment.**

Around forty- five minutes later, Chase and Cuddy were sitting at a table in R.F.O'Sullivan's Pub, a restaurant ten minutes outside of Boston.

A young, pretty waitress with deep brown eyes and a long, wavy brunette pony- tail had just placed two plates in front of them, each with a thick eight ounce medium- well hamburger piled high with sautéed mushrooms, melted Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a bun. There was a large plastic toothpick stuck in the middle of each burger. On the side of each plate was a generous helping of seasoned fries.

"You've GOT to be kidding me," Cuddy stated, her eyes popping out of her head at the tremendous amount of food on her plate.

Chase chuckled. "Trust me. It's unlike anything you've ever tasted before," he told Cuddy.

"He's right," the pretty waitress agreed as she placed a tall glass of draught beer next to Cuddy's plate. She then took another glass off her tray and began to put it down on the table next to Chase's plate.

"Thank you," Chase said to the waitress, giving her a soft smile as he took his own glass of beer out of her hand.

The waitress blushed slightly as his fingers accidentally brushed against hers when he took the glass.

"…My name is Sophie if you need anything else," the waitress told him shyly, returning his soft smile with one of her own.

Chase nodded, still smiling at her. He followed her with his gaze as she turned and left their table.

He then turned his attention back to Cuddy, who was still eyeing her plate with suspicion and placed his beer down on the table.

Chase laughed slightly as he took the toothpick out of his own burger.

"So, are you gonna just stare at it or are you gonna trust me?" Chase teased her as he picked up his burger with both hands and took a generous bite.

Cuddy sighed. "All right," Cuddy said.

She took the long plastic toothpick out of her burger and picked the sandwich up with both hands as Chase had done.

As Chase chewed his first bite, he kept his eyes intently on her.

Cuddy glanced at him briefly. She took her first bite.

Her eyes then closed in bliss.

"…. mmmm…" Cuddy moaned in pleasure, her shoulders relaxing as the various tastes melted in her mouth.

"Told ya," Chase said as he continued to chew.

"…oh god….." Cuddy managed to say as she savored her meal.

"Now aren't you glad we played hooky from the conference?" Chase asked her with a wink.

"… mm hmm…" Cuddy said as she chewed.

Chase grinned broadly, deciding whether he was getting more pleasure out of Cuddy enjoying her food or the fact that she had loosened up enough to skip out on the conference for a while.

After a few moments of the both of them eating in silence, Chase took his burgundy cloth napkin, wiped his face and decided to go for broke.

"Now can we talk about why you're angry with me?" Chase asked lightly.

Cuddy, in mid bite, looked up at him with only her eyes. She took the bite she was currently in the middle of, chewed a few times and put her burger back down on her plate.

"I'm not angry with you," Cuddy lied as she wiped her mouth with her own napkin.

"Yeah… which is why you needed all SIX towels in our bathroom for your shower this morning," Chase said with an amused look, tilting his head slightly forward. A few blond locks fell in his face as he did so.

Cuddy couldn't help but smile at how incredibly disarming he looked at that moment.

"…All right. I'm a little angry…" Cuddy admitted.

A slightly triumphant grin played on Chase's lips.

"… but not for the reason you think," Cuddy added in a softer tone.

The grin disappeared off Chase's face. He gazed at her curiously as Cuddy looked away from him and down at her plate.

"This is gonna sound ridiculous…" Cuddy muttered.

"Try me," Chase said gently.

Cuddy looked up from her plate and into his blue- green eyes, which matched the gentle tone in his voice.

"Last night… when you opened your eyes and saw that it was me that you were…" Cuddy began.

Chase nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"…Holding…" Cuddy continued.

Chase smiled slightly at her eloquent choice of words as he waited for her to finish her thought.

"You acted like you were horrified," Cuddy finally said.

Chase's jaw dropped slightly. He was flabbergasted.

He had no idea that his actions had insulted Cuddy in any way.

And had no intention of telling her that he had been quite aroused by how sexy she had looked in her nightie last night, nor that he had been ogling her legs during the seminar that morning.

"I wasn't horrified," Chase stated, shaking his head.

"Yeah. That's why you JUMPED out of the bed when you realized it was my breast you were fondling," Cuddy said in slight disgust.

"I jumped out of the bed because I was accidentally feeling up my boss!" Chase said.

Cuddy looked away from Chase once again. She placed her elbow on the table and rested her forehead in her hand, rubbing it slightly with her fingertips and closing her eyes.

Chase, feeling her embarrassment, exhaled and leaned closer to her, placing his hand on the back of her chair.

"Look, this is obviously an uncomfortable situation for both of us," Chase said.

Keeping her fingers on her forehead, Cuddy met Chase's eyes once more, saying nothing.

"I'm sorry if I insulted you. That wasn't my intention," Chase said sincerely.

Cuddy nodded reluctantly, accepting his apology with her expression.

"And I was FAR from horrified," Chase added, the corners of his lips turning up slightly.

At this, Cuddy smiled and sat up straighter.

"I was just scared you were gonna fire me," Chase said with a slight shrug.

"I wouldn't fire you for something like that," Cuddy told him.

"House fired me for a lot less," Chase pointed out to her.

"Well, I'm not House," Cuddy stated simply.

Chase smiled back, gazing into her lovely soft grey- blue eyes, which looked slightly more blue today.

"No, you're not," he agreed.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

After they had both finished eating and making small talk, Cuddy looked at the vintage clock on the wall of the restaurant with disappointment.

"I guess we should go back to the conference for the afternoon panel," Cuddy said.

"I'll get the check," Chase told her, scanning the restaurant for Sophie, their waitress.

Sophie had caught Chase's eye and returned to their table. She placed a brown leather billfold directly in front of Chase.

"Thank you," Chase said to her politely.  "Hope you enjoyed everything," Sophie said, giving him a meaningful glance.

Chase raised his eyebrow at her. A slow smile played across her lips before she headed to another table.

Chase opened up the leather billfold and smiled with closed lips when he read that Sophie had written something at the bottom of their check.

"THANKS,

SOPHIE

(617) 555- 3468"

Chase's smile broadened into a grin. He looked up once more, glancing at Sophie's slim, yet curvy figure framed with a scoop neck white t- shirt and a pair black pants as she waited on another table.

He then ripped off the bottom part of the check that displayed Sophie's phone number and stuffed it in his pocket before paying for his and Cuddy's lunch. 

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Around ten minutes later, Cuddy and Chase exited a cab that had returned them back to Boston and the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

"How much do I owe you for the cab fare?" Cuddy asked him.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it," Chase told her dismissively.

"But you paid for lunch and the cab both ways," Cuddy began to argue.

"So you'll pay for dinner," Chase told her with a shrug of his shoulder.

Cuddy and Chase both glanced at the entrance to the hotel, neither of them admitting that they had no interest in going back inside for the afternoon panel scheduled. They then looked back out at the street, watching cars and people pass by them.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" Cuddy commented.

"Sure is," Chase agreed with a nod, rocking back and forth on his heels.

Cuddy kept her eyes out on the street as Chase kept his eyes on her.

"…WAY too nice of a day to be stuck inside listening to a boring seminar," Cuddy said tentatively.

Chase grinned.

"Ever been on the Freedom Trail?" Chase asked her.

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Later that night, after spending the afternoon walking The Freedom Trail, a tour of Boston's historical sites, Cuddy was lounging on the bed. She was still wearing her suit, but her stilettos were on the floor next to the bed.

Her legs were stretched out in front of her, her bare feet resting on Chase's lap. Cuddy let out sound somewhere between a sigh and a moan as he massaged her right foot.

"Oh… wow…" Cuddy said, lolling her head back as Chase's fingers worked magic on her feet.

"I have no idea what possesses women to wear high heels like that," Chase teased her.

"I wouldn't have worn them if I knew I was going to be walking around Boston for three hours," Cuddy pointed out.

Chase applied more pressure to the ball and the arch of her foot, making slow circles with his thumb.

"Oh GAWD yes… right there right there… PLEEEASE don't stop…" Cuddy moaned, closing her eyes.

Chase couldn't help but laugh. "So is this better than the burger?" he asked her.

"I'll have to get back to you on that," Cuddy quipped.

Chase placed her right foot gently back on his lap and picked up her left foot, admiring her deep red pedicure as he did so.

"So did you think she was cute?" Cuddy asked him.

Chase looked up from her foot as he massaged it gently. "Who?" he asked.

"The waitress at O' Sullivan's who slipped you her phone number," Cuddy replied knowingly.

Chase smiled at her sheepishly. "Oh, you saw that, huh?" he asked, blushing slightly.

"Why are you embarrassed? Girls must give you their phone numbers all the time," Cuddy said.

"… Not as often as you'd think," Chase said, blushing a bit more.

Cuddy grinned, realizing that she was enjoying his embarrassment.

Chase continued to apply deep yet gentle pressure to the bottom of her foot. He began to move his thumb back and forth along her arch towards her heel, making her gasp and moan again.

"I COULD GET USED TO THAT SOUND," Chase thought to himself as he watched her lips part slightly at the pleasure he was giving her.

Just then, Chase's cell phone rang in his pants pocket. Cuddy lifted her feet up slightly off of Chase's lap so he could reach his phone. He opened it with his left hand and kept his right hand on her foot.

"Hey stranger," Cameron said on the other end.

Upon hearing Cameron's voice, Chase immediately loosened his grip on Cuddy's foot.

"Hi," Chase said a little too cheerfully.

"How's the conference?" Cameron asked him.

"Ok," Chase replied. "Boring," he added for good measure.

Cuddy pursed her lips together and took her feet off Chase's lap, knowing that it was Cameron on the other end. Chase then scooted up closer to the headboard and leaned his back against it.

"You miss me?" Cameron asked him.

"Of course I do," Chase replied.

"Do you miss me enough to have phone sex?" Cameron asked.

Chase's eyebrows popped up. He nervously glanced over at Cuddy who had turned on the TV and had already turned on the FOX network to get ready to watch her favorite medical drama.

"…What… right now?" Chase asked warily.

"What are you wearing?" Cameron purred on the other end.

Chase glanced over at Cuddy again. Her show had started and she was thoroughly engrossed in the TV.

"…T- shirt… and jeans," Chase said into the phone in a nervous, low voice.

Upon overhearing what Chase had just said, Cuddy gave him a sidelong glance, arching her eyebrow slightly.

"Wanna know what I'm wearing?" Cameron said seductively.

"…Sure," Chase said tentatively, hoping that Cuddy couldn't hear what Cameron was saying on the other end.

"I'm wearing the lacy black bra and the black thong panties you bought me for my birthday," Cameron said, keeping the same sexy tone in her voice.

Chase shifted slightly on the bed, rolling away from Cuddy and leaning on his elbow.

"That… sounds nice…" Chase murmured.

Cuddy's jaw dropped slightly in amusement, having the distinct feeling that Cameron was saying something suggestive to him on the other end.

"I'm feeling VERY naughty tonight," Cameron said sexily. "Do you feel naughty, Robert?"

"… Um…" Chase said with hesitation, having no idea how to answer her without letting on what they were talking about in front of Cuddy.

"I wanna make your DEEPEST FANTASTIES come true…" Cameron continued.

"Allie…" Chase said nervously.

"How would you feel about a threesome?" Cameron suggested.

Chase felt his breath catch in his throat. He swallowed hard.

"… are you serious?" Chase asked, slightly hopeful.

"You… me… another girl…" Cameron said sexily.

"If… you're sure you're ok with that—" Chase began.

"I'll hold on while you ask Cuddy if she's into it," Cameron stated flatly with an angry edge to her voice.

Chase stomach turned, realizing that she had set him up.

He let out a breath that he had apparently been holding in and slumped his head forward. He turned towards Cuddy, who quickly snapped her head away from Chase's direction and back to the TV.

"I'll… be right back," Chase muttered to Cuddy.

As Chase got off the bed and headed to the door of their hotel room, he racked his brain thinking about what he could possibly say to get out of the hot water he was currently in with Cameron.

TBC…


	7. Chapter 7

**OK, EVERYONE! HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!!**

**THINGS ARE GOING TO GET A BIT COMPLICATED...**

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**CHAPTER 7: Please read and comment.**

Chase was in the hallway right outside his and Cuddy's hotel room, pacing back and forth, raking his hair with his fingers as he attempted to crawl out of the hole he had just dug himself into with Cameron.

"Allie, I'm sorry," Chase said apologetically.

"You could have told me that you and Cuddy were sharing a room," Cameron said bitingly on the other end.

"I know—" Chase began.

"So why didn't you?" Cameron demanded, interrupting him.

Chase continued to pace and exhaled deeply.

"Honestly… I didn't think you'd be too happy about it," Chase admitted.

"HONESTLY?!" Cameron exclaimed angrily.

'CRAP,' Chase thought to himself, kicking himself for his choice of words.

"So now you're being HONEST after you lied to me?" Cameron added.

"I screwed up. I'm sorry," Chase said.

"Do you know how embarrassing it was for me when House told me today? It's bad enough you didn't tell me—" Cameron continued to prattle on.

Chase stopped in his tracks in the middle of the hallway.

"HOUSE told you?" Chase interrupted in surprise.

"…Yeah," Cameron replied, unsure why Chase would be so surprised at this.

"Did you… bring him a case or something?" Chase asked her.

"No. He came down to the ER this morning," Cameron replied.

Chase knew that ever since Cameron had left House's team over a year ago that she and House's paths rarely crossed unless House had some ulterior motive for going to see her.

Chase laughed curtly. "HE went all the way down to the ER just to tell you that Cuddy and I are sharing a room," Chase clarified.

"Don't tell me you're jealous," Cameron said with mild irritation.

"I'm not jealous. I'm questioning his motives," Chase told her.

"He obviously wanted to annoy and humiliate me," Cameron said dismissively.

"Oh I don't doubt that…" Chase agreed.

"But that's not the only reason why he told you about it," Chase added.

Cameron sighed. Technically, Chase had known House longer than she had, and he possessed an unusual ability to read him very well. When House's father had died, Chase knew that despite the façade that House had put on, his dad's death had affected him in some way.

And he had been right.

And for some reason that she couldn't put her finger on, this irked her.

"House knew that once he told you that Cuddy and were sharing a room that you'd ring me up straight away and chew me out about it," Chase declared.

"So what are you saying? That he's trying to break us up?" Cameron asked.

"He's not interested in breaking us up," Chase said dismissively.

"So then why did he tell me?" Cameron asked impatiently.

Chase paused for a moment.

"…I don't know," Chase admitted, his mind trying to come up with an explanation for House's actions.

"So where are you sleeping?" Cameron asked him with mild disgust.

"Huh?" Chase asked, snapping out of his current thoughts.

"I'm assuming you gave Cuddy the bed. Is there a couch in the room or are you stuck on the floor?" Cameron asked.

"Oh… they sent up a cot," Chase said off- handedly.

Technically it was true, Chase told himself. The staff had sent up a cot for him to sleep on. Cuddy had just gotten rid of it.

But Cameron didn't need to know that.

"You're back is gonna be a mess by the end of the week," Cameron said.

Chase smiled slightly. He could tell by Cameron's tone of voice that her overly caring side was beginning to take over her anger at him.

And he knew that he had to seize the opportunity to turn the situation around in his favor.

"Yep," Chase said dejectedly.

"…I'll give you massage when you come home," Cameron finally said.

Chase grinned. Mission accomplished.

"That sounds nice," Chase said softly.

"I do miss you, you know," Cameron admitted.

"I miss you, too," Chase replied, smiling slightly.

"When are you making your presentation?" Cameron asked.

"Thursday morning," Chase told her.  "Will I hear from you before then?" Cameron asked him.

"Of course you will," Chase assured her.

"…So… I'm guessing phone sex is out of the question?" Chase asked her, half- teasingly.

"I'm not into threesomes," Cameron teased back.

"Damn," Chase joked, making Cameron laugh.

"Get some sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow," Cameron said.

They said their good- byes and hung up.

As he placed his phone back in his pants pocket, Chase replayed the conversation he had just had with Cameron in his mind.

'WHY WOULD HOUSE GO DOWN TO THE ER TO SPECIFICALLY TELL CAMERON THAT I WAS SHARING A ROOM WITH CUDDY?' Chase wondered.

As he took his card key out of his pocket to open the door to his and Cuddy's room, he made up his mind that he was going to figure out the answer to that question before he returned to Princeton. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

That same night, at around close to 2 AM, House was pacing back and forth in his apartment.

He couldn't sleep and his leg was hurting badly.

As he continued to pace, every so often, he eyed the closet where he kept his emergency morphine kit.

He had only resorted to it a handful of times since his infarction.

And he knew that Wilson would make the argument that increased pain could be attributed to a psychological cause.

"DAMN WILSON," House muttered as he continued to pace. Why couldn't he just ignore his voice trying to be his conscience?

And then House stopped pacing.

He smiled slightly as an idea struck him.

He grabbed his leather jacket and his keys to his motorcycle and left his apartment. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Around ten minutes later, Wilson staggered out of his bedroom wearing only his boxers, rubbing his eyes as the rhythmic knocking of a wooden object against his front door could be heard throughout his apartment.

When he opened his door, he couldn't believe he was actually surprised to see House standing on the other side of it.

House raised his eyebrows slightly at Wilson's attire.

"Your boxers have bananas on them," House stated.

"House, it's two AM," Wilson protested in a gravely voice.

"Need a consult," House said, limping past Wilson and entering his apartment. Wilson closed the door and turned to face him.

"You don't have a patient. I would have known—" Wilson argued.

"Fifty- year old male, suffering from acute insomnia and increase in chronic leg pain," House said, completely ignoring whatever Wilson was saying.

"… Can't whatever emotional crisis you're dealing with wait until tomorrow—" Wilson said.

"NO," House barked.

Wilson jumped slightly at House's sharp tone in his voice. For a brief moment, House looked just as surprised at himself. He then quickly recovered and flopped down on Wilson's couch.

"You can't sleep and your leg hurts because you screwed up with Cuddy and you don't know how to fix it," Wilson said with exasperation.

"Your powers of deduction always amaze me," House snarked.

"Hey. You came to me. If you don't care what I think—" Wilson began.

"So how do I fix it?" House demanded.

"How should I know?!" Wilson shot back.

House took his gaze off Wilson and looked down at the floor. Wilson couldn't help but feel bad for him. As long as he'd known House, he'd always had a tough time expressing his emotions.

But lately, he'd noticed that his feelings for Cuddy were beginning to surface.

"She's not sleeping with Chase, if that's what you're worried about," Wilson said.

"You got a webcam in their hotel room?" House asked.

"She'd never have sex with one of her employees and Chase is going with Cameron," Wilson reassured him.

"You heard what Foreman said. Chase and Cameron are having problems and Cuddy hasn't been out on a date in five years," House muttered.

"She went out with that guy," Wilson reminded her. "You know, the one who owned 'Eastern Lube?'"

House smiled slightly as he remembered how he kept interrupting her date with that jerk with his CIPA case. Although he did enjoy making Cuddy squirm uncomfortably that night with embarrassment, there was a part of him that wanted to show that guy that he was 'the man' in her life.

"Trust me. That never panned out," House said.

"Did you ever think of just apologizing to her for canceling her reservation?" Wilson asked, sitting down on the other end of the couch.

"She won't fall for that," House mumbled. "She's too smart."

"Did you ever think about actually being SINCERE about your apology?" Wilson asked.

House met Wilson's eyes again.

"Go home, take your Vicodin, try to get some sleep, and give her a call in the morning," Wilson told him.

House glanced at the clock on Wilson's wall.

"… it's the morning right now," House said tentatively.

"It's 2AM! You can't call her now!" Wilson exclaimed.

"Technically it's closer to 2:30, but—" House pointed out.

"Wait a minute," Wilson said, a look of epiphany crossing his face.

"You don't want to apologize. You just want to see if she ANSWERS HER PHONE," Wilson stated.

House looked back down at the floor again, his lips curling up into a smirk.

"Because if she DOESN'T answer her phone… that might mean that she's having sex with Chase right now," Wilson added.

"Like I said, your powers of deduction amaze me," House said, pushing himself up off Wilson's couch with his cane.

He then stared at Wilson one more time.

"Your fashion sense just frightens me," House added before leaving Wilson's apartment. 

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Fifteen minutes later, the phone rang in Cuddy and Chase's hotel room.

Chase, in a dead sleep and snoring loudly, didn't move at the sound of the phone.

But Cuddy, who was wide awake because of Chase's snoring, reached over to answer the phone.

"Hello?" Cuddy answered.

"You're awake?" House said on the other end of the phone.

"…Yes," Cuddy said with a sigh.

"He snores, doesn't he?" House asked knowingly.

"What do you want?" Cuddy asked.

"How's the conference going?" House asked casually.

Cuddy sat up straight in the bed.

"You called me at a quarter to three in the morning to find out how the conference is going?" Cuddy asked him incredulously.

"So what? You were awake," House pointed out.

"But you didn't know that," Cuddy retorted.

"Who brought along more hair products? You or him?" House asked.

Cuddy smiled. "… He did," she said.

"I knew that sexy tousled look had help," House said.

"So did you burn down the hospital yet?" Cuddy asked him affectionately.

"I'm pacing myself," House replied, noticing the sweet tone her voice took on.

"Do you have a case?" Cuddy asked.

"Nope. And I'm avoiding clinic duty like the Plague," House said proudly.

"What you NEED is a Plague to keep you out of trouble," Cuddy told him.

"What are you wearing?" House asked, his voice becoming slightly husky.

"I'm hanging up, now," Cuddy said in a sing- song voice.

"Hmm. Desire to hang up quickly points to something sexy….I'm thinking camisole and panties," House said as if he was performing a differential diagnosis.

Cuddy snorted. "No," she stated emphatically.

"T- shirt and panties?" House asked.

"House…" Cuddy began, getting slightly annoyed.

"Baby doll nightie?" House suggested.

Cuddy didn't reply. She looked down at herself in her baby doll nightie and cursed House's powers of deduction silently in her head.

"Yahtzee," House said. "Details."

"No," Cuddy said, unable to keep a grin from forming on her face.

"You really wore that for Chase?" House asked.

"I didn't wear it for ANYONE. That's all I brought to sleep in and I didn't exactly plan on sharing a room with him," Cuddy reminded him.

"C'mon. At least describe what it looks like for me so I don't have to imagine that you're wearing something completely scandalous," House said.

"You'd do that anyway," Cuddy told him with a grin.

House grinned back.

"Good night, House," Cuddy said.

"Good night, Lisa," House replied.

Cuddy's breath hitched at the sound of her first name coming out of House's mouth.

But before she could say anything, House had hung up the phone.

Just then, Chase rolled over in their bed and opened his eyes slightly.

"Did someone call?" Chase mumbled, half asleep.

"…No. Go back to sleep," Cuddy replied hanging up the phone.

Chase murmured something nonsensical, rolled over in the other direction and promply fell back asleep.

As Chase resumed his snoring, Cuddy felt a tiny tingle pass through her body.

"He called me 'Lisa,'" Cuddy said aloud.

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE GREAT REVIEWS! **

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER. I WROTE THIS PORTION AFTER SEEING SPOILERS FOR "THE ITCH."**

**PLEASE READ, COMMENT AND ENJOY!!**

************************************************************************ 

**CHAPTER 8: Please read and comment.**

The next morning, Chase and Cuddy were sitting next to each other in one of the Hyatt Regency's ballrooms listening to a doctor describe his results regarding the second phase of his clinical trials for Huntington's Disease.

But both Chase and Cuddy had absolutely no idea what the doctor was saying because they were completely distracted with their own thoughts of House.

"WHY WOULD HOUSE BOTHER TO GO DOWN TO THE ER?" Chase thought to himself as he spun his pen on the top of his hand.

"WHY WOULD HOUSE CALL ME 'LISA?'" Cuddy thought to herself.

"HE NEVER GOES DOWN THERE TO BOTHER HER UNLESS HE'S GOT A HIDDEN AGENDA," Chase thought.

"HE NEVER CALLS ME BY MY FIRST NAME," Cuddy thought.

"DOES HE WANT TO BREAK US UP?" Chase questioned to himself.

"DOES HE LIKE ME?" Cuddy questioned to herself.

"BREAKING UP ME AND ALLISON ISN'T SOMETHING HE'D BE INTERESTED IN DOING," Chase thought dismissively.

"HOUSE ISN'T INTERESTED IN ME. I THWART HIS INSANITY AT EVERY TURN," Cuddy dismissed.

"HOUSE KNEW THAT SHE'D GET ANGRY. HE KNEW THAT SHE WOULD CALL ME," Chase reasoned to himself.

"HOUSE KNOWS THAT I'D TAKE NOTICE OF HIM CALLING ME 'LISA'" Cuddy surmised.

"AND IF SHE CALLED ME, HE ALSO KNOWS IT WOULD MAKE ME FEEL GUILTY…" Chase thought.

"AND IF I NOTICED, HE ALSO KNOWS I'D BE COMPLETELY DISTRACTED BY THIS…" Cuddy thought.

"WHY IS HE TRYING TO MAKE ME FEEL GUILTY?" Chase asked himself.

"WHY IS HE TRYING TO DISTRACT ME?" Cuddy asked herself.

"Whoops," Chase said aloud, as his the pen he was spinning on his hand with his thumb got away from him and fell on the floor in front of him.

Chase bent down to retrieve the pen. On the way down, he happened to brush the back of his hand against Cuddy's leg, which felt incredibly smooth and soft.

"I'm sorry," Chase whispered to her once he had retrieved his pen and sat up again.

"It's all right," Cuddy whispered back.

Chase snuck one more peek at her legs, still trying to figure out the motives behind House's actions. 

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After the mid- morning seminar was over, Chase and Cuddy decided to go back to O'Sullivan's Pub for lunch.

"I'm getting something a little lighter this time," Cuddy told him.

Chase nodded absentmindedly as he perused his menu.

"Back again?" a friendly female voice said.

Chase looked up and saw Sophie, the pretty brunette waitress who had served them last time. Just like yesterday, she was wearing her hair in an attractive pony- tail, but today she was wearing a v- neck white t- shirt instead of a scoop neck with her black pants.

Chase smiled at her, momentarily forgetting his thoughts of House.

"Have you decided yet?" Sophia asked them.

"Ummm…" Chase said, looking back at the menu.

He had been so distracted with trying to figure out what House was up to that he hadn't been able to decide on what he wanted to eat.

And the view of the top curves of Sophie's perky breasts in her v- neck t- shirt weren't helping.

"I think we need a few more minutes," Cuddy said to her with a smile.

"Take your time. I'm not going anywhere," Sophie said to both of them. She gazed at Chase for a moment longer before heading over to another table.

Chase followed her with his eyes as she walked away before turning back to Cuddy.

He was met with a broad grin on Cuddy's face.

"What?" Chase asked her.

"She likes you," Cuddy said.

Chase blushed slightly as he looked back down at his menu.

"And you don't think she's so bad, either," Cuddy added.

"I've always had a thing for brunettes," Chase admitted.

"You must have hated it when Cameron changed her hair color," Cuddy commented.

"I wasn't too happy about it," he admitted with a shrug.

"You didn't tell her that, did you?' Cuddy asked him.

"I'm not an idiot," Chase quipped, the corners of his lips turning upwards.

Cuddy chuckled as Chase continued to read the menu. But he still couldn't concentrate.

And Cuddy noticed this.

"You ok? You seem distracted," Cuddy asked him.

"I'm fine," Chase said nonchalantly.

Cuddy nodded, but didn't believe Chase for one moment.

"So how angry was Cameron when she found out that we were sharing a room?" Cuddy asked him.

Chase looked up from his menu with a look of slight exasperation.

"Pretty angry at first… but then she got over it," Chase told her.

"Well that's good," Cuddy said.

"Yeah…" Chase said trailing off and looking back down at the menu.

Cuddy continued to gaze at Chase as he re- read the same words he had been staring at for the last ten minutes.

Cuddy had always felt that out of all of the doctor's on House's old team, Chase was the most difficult to read. He was an extremely private person at work. The only thing she knew about his personal life was that his father had died and that he and Cameron were now together after a short "friends with benefits" arrangement.

And that Chase stuffed the fortunes from fortune cookies into his pockets without reading them aloud.

But after spending a few weeks with him preparing for the conference and sharing a bed with him for the last two days, she had become much more curious about who Chase really was.

"How serious are you and Cameron?" Cuddy asked.

"Define serious," Chase replied without missing a beat or without looking up from his menu.

Cuddy was genuinely surprised that Chase didn't seem to be thrown by her question and at how fast he had answered her. But since he didn't seem to be bothered by the personal nature of her query, she decided to probe further.

"…Are you planning on moving in together?" Cuddy asked

"I doubt it," Chase replied.

"Why?" Cuddy asked.

"She's never offered me a drawer," Chase answered her, still looking at the menu.

Cuddy blinked her eyes a few times, and said nothing. Chase looked up from his menu at her silence.

"At her place. She never gives me any space to put my clothes. If she wanted me there, she would have given me a drawer, or some room in her closet for my stuff," Chase explained.

Cuddy paused thoughtfully, choosing the right words in her head before responding to Chase's statement.

"Maybe… she's just not ready to take that step," Cuddy offered.

"Maybe," Chase said devoid of emotion.

Cuddy sensed that Chase had no desire to continue this line of conversation.

"Maybe we should order," Cuddy suggested. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Some time later, Chase and Cuddy were finishing their lunch. They had barely made small talk throughout the entire meal and Cuddy was desperately trying to find some way to break the tension that had developed between them at the table.

"So we have our presentation tomorrow morning," Cuddy said as she took the last bite of her chicken Caesar salad.

"Yep," Chase agreed.

"Maybe we should go over it again tonight, just to make sure we're ready," Cuddy suggested.

"Sounds good," Chase said as he took the last bite of his burger.

Cuddy nodded, having no idea what else to say to him.

But as she looked at him sitting at the table across from her in his tan v- neck sweater and blue button down shirt, she knew exactly what to do.

"What are you planning on wearing to the presentation tomorrow?" Cuddy asked him.

Chase raised his eyebrows at her. He chewed the remaining bite of his food and swallowed.

"A suit, I guess," Chase replied, confused as he took a swig from his beer glass.

"Which suit?" Cuddy pressed.

"…The light grey one. Why?" Chase asked her.

"What shirt and tie did you bring to wear with it?" Cuddy continued.

"White shirt, yellow tie. Why are you asking me this?" Chase asked.

Cuddy grinned. She took her napkin off her lap, wiped her mouth and put it on the table. She then grabbed her purse and stood up.

"C'mon. Let's go," Cuddy told him.

Chase stared up at her, still seated, still confused.

"Where are we going?" Chase asked her.

"Back to Boston. We're going to find a men's store. You're buying a new suit, a new shirt and a new tie to wear to this presentation," Cuddy told him in an authoritative tone of voice.

Chase was shocked.

"You're… taking me CLOTHES SHOPPING?" Chase asked incredulously.

"I'll charge whatever we buy to the hospital," Cuddy assured him.

At this, Chase wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood up.

"Then let's go," Chase said, taking the check off the table that Sophie had placed there a few moments ago.

As they began to walk up to the bar to pay for their lunch, Sophie caught Chase's eye once more. She looked away when she saw both Cuddy and Chase coming towards her.

"I'll be outside while you say good- bye to your girlfriend," Cuddy teased Chase softly before walking out the door and leaving Chase at the bar alone.

Chase chuckled as he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket to pay for his and Cuddy's lunch.

"Thanks for lunch. It was great," Chase told Sophie.

"I didn't make it. I just served it to you," Sophie replied with a demure smile.

Chase returned her smile with a dazzling one of his own.

"Then, thanks for the great service," Chase replied.

"You must hear this all the time… but you have a really nice smile," Sophie told him, blushing slightly.

"So do you," Chase replied, causing her blush to deepen.

Chase handed Sophie the check and the money to pay the bill. She took it from him and looked down at the check with a hopeful glance, which disappeared quickly.

Chase's smiled turned into a lopsided, sheepish grin, knowing exactly why she looked disappointed.

"I was… kinda hoping I'd see your number at the bottom of the check this time," Sophia said.

"Sorry," Chase said gently.

"You're seeing someone," Sophie said with a melancholy smile.

"Yeah," Chase said, almost apologetically.

Sophie looked out the window at Cuddy standing outside waiting for Chase.

Sophie observed that she was an extremely confident, poised and lovely woman.

"Her?" Sophie asked, tilting her head towards Cuddy's direction outside.

"No. She's my boss," Chase replied.

"Oh," Sophie said.

"Well… I'm still glad you came back," Sophie added.

Chase nodded. "So am I," he said with a smile.

Sophie, still holding the money and the check that Chase had given her, couldn't take her eyes off the gorgeous blond young man in front of her.

"Well, I'd… better not keep her waiting," Chase said tentatively, jutting his chin slowly at the check and the money that Sophie was still holding.

Sophie shook her head quickly.

"Oh, right," she said, turning her attention back to the cash. She rang up the bill and gave Chase the change.

"No, you keep it," Chase said, pushing the change back to her.

Sophie looked down at fifty dollar bill she was holding in shock.

"…You're giving me a twenty- dollar tip for a thirty dollar lunch," she told him.

"I know," Chase said.

"That's very generous of you, but I can't accept that," Sophie argued, shaking her head.

"Please take it. I know that you can't make much here and you probably have to kick back some of your tips to the owner," Chase told her.

Sophie smiled at him warmly. "Yeah, we do," she admitted.

"So please take it," Chase pleaded.

"Are you sure?" Sophie asked him.

"Positive," Chase said firmly.

"Thank you very much," Sophie said sincerely.

"Thank you," Chase told her.

"For what?" Sophia asked.

"For making me smile," Chase replied simply.

He then left the restaurant and joined Cuddy outside.

"Anytime," Sophie said happily to herself after Chase had left.

TBC…


	9. Chapter 9

**OK, AS PROMISED, HERE'S ANOTHER CHAPTER!!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! I WILL RESPOND TO EACH ONE OF THEM!**

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**SORRY FOR THE DELAY. I WAS WATCHING HOUSE!**

**PLEASE READ, COMMENT AND ENJOY!! :-)**

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**CHAPTER 9: Please read and comment.**

Around an hour later, Cuddy had taken Chase to Hugo Boss in Boston. She was sitting with her legs crossed in a chair just outside of Chase's dressing room, reading a magazine.

A few moments later, Chase exited the dressing room.

"Well?" Chase asked her.

Cuddy looked up and her jaw dropped.

Chase was wearing a wool charcoal grey suit that fit him perfectly, a crisp white button down shirt with a white textured pattern embedded in the fabric, and a slate blue paisley tie that had a slight metallic sheen.

"You look FANTASTIC!" Cuddy blurted out.

Chase looked down at himself and smoothed out his tie over his stomach.

"You think?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Absolutely," Cuddy said, nodding her head slowly.

As Chase looked in the mirror at himself, Cuddy couldn't tear her gaze away from him. She had never seen him look so sharp or so handsome.

Chase picked up his right arm. His eyebrows arched upon seeing the price tag and turned back to face her.

"Dr. Cuddy… this is a nine hundred dollar suit. This, plus the shirt and tie—" Chase began in protest.

"I told you. I'm charging it to the hospital," Cuddy stated, tilting her head as she scrutinized how crookedly he had tied his tie.

She then stood up and walked towards him. She promptly untied the half- Windsor knot he had made, evened out the length of his tie, and began to fashion a full Windsor in its place.

Chase just gazed at her face with slight suspicion.

"Why are you doing this for me?" Chase asked her.

"Because it's clear that Cameron isn't teaching you how to dress and I like to shop," Cuddy replied playfully as she continued to fix his tie.

Chase chuckled. "Maybe you should buy a tie for House," he suggested.

"House doesn't wear ties," Cuddy muttered as she smoothed and buttoned his collar.

"He would if it was from you," Chase told her.

"Why do you say that?" Cuddy said, still focused on his tie.

"Are you SERIOUS?" Chase said, his eyes widening, causing Cuddy to look up at him.

"You're telling me that you REALLY don't know that he likes you?" Chase asked incredulously.

"Why? Because he makes comments about my a$$ on a daily basis?" Cuddy asked him with a deadpanned tone.

"Every inappropriate comment he makes to you or about you is his infantile way of showing that's he's got the hots for you," Chase declared.

Cuddy smirked.

"The 'HOTS?'" she repeated with amusement.

Chase laughed in response as he buttoned the cuffs of his shirt.

Cuddy looked at Chase thoughtfully for a moment. She then walked away to a nearby round table that displayed all the various tie choices for sale.

"…You really think he likes me?" Cuddy asked tentatively, brushing her fingers over the ties.

Chase looked up from his cuff in mid- button.

"…Do you like HIM?" Chase asked her in surprise.

"No," Cuddy stated immediately.

Chase nodded, not believing her in the slightest.

"And what does it matter if I did? House isn't capable of having a real relationship with anyone anyway," Cuddy added dismissively.

"He lived with Stacy for five years," Chase pointed out.

"And look how that turned out," Cuddy retorted.

Chase laughed again as he began to button his other shirt cuff.

"Well, I will say this. If by some miracle you do wind up together, he's getting the sweeter end of the deal," Chase stated.

Cuddy turned around from the tie display and smiled at Chase.

"Thank you," Cuddy said sincerely.

Chase smiled in return and walked over to her, closing the distance between them.

"Thanks for the suit," Chase said in a charming manner, gazing into her soft grey- blue eyes.

Cuddy, slightly mesmerized by the sparkle in Chase's blue- green eyes, returned his smile.

"Feel like making another stop?" Cuddy asked him. 

------------------------------------------------------------------ 

A short while later, Chase leaning against a wall at Victoria's Secret, holding a garment bag over his shoulder that had his new Hugo Boss suit, shirt and tie in it, while Cuddy was rifling through a display of cotton camisole and shorts sets.

"I can't BELIEVE you brought me here," Chase muttered.

"Don't tell me you've never been in here," Cuddy told him as she looked for her size.

"Never with my BOSS," Chase pointed out.

"You should buy something for Cameron while we're here," Cuddy told him, holding up a pair of very short pink plaid cotton shorts with lace around the bottoms against her body.

Chase noticed that the hem of the shorts came up quite high on her thighs.

His lips turned up at the corners as he pictured how they would show off her slender shapely legs and the curves of her hips.

"Yeah, like that won't look TOO suspicious," Chase said, pushing himself off the wall he was leaning on.

Chase tried to dismiss the thought of what the shorts would look like on the floor of their hotel room.

"You only buy Cameron presents when you screw up?" Cuddy asked him.

"No, but she always SUSPECTS that I've screwed up in some way when I DO by her a present," Chase replied.

"She's become a cynic. I guess it was a good thing she got away from House when she did," Cuddy joked.

A darkened expression crossed Chase's face for the moment. But he said nothing and a second later it disappeared.

Instead, he strolled over to a nearby table that had satin lacy slip teddies and matching lace panty sets.

"That's more of a gift for you than her," Cuddy said to him as Chase began to search through the lingerie.

"And what's wrong with that?" Chase replied with a lopsided grin.

"Always the opportunist," Cuddy teased.

"You should take comfort in the fact that I haven't changed since you put me on the surgical staff," Chase told her.

At that moment, Cuddy's cell phone rang in her purse. She took her phone out and saw her office number appear on the caller ID.

"It's Wilson," Cuddy stated with surprise.

Chase turned down his lower lip and began to look for an even skimpier teddy for Cameron as Cuddy answered her phone.

"What's up?" Cuddy asked.

"Taub quit," Wilson said angrily on the other end of the phone.

"WHAT?!" Cuddy exclaimed through the phone.

"What happened?" Chase asked with concern upon hearing Cuddy's voice.

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT," House shouted from somewhere in the background loud enough for Cuddy to hear over the phone.

"You called his wife a whore!" Wilson exclaimed to House.

"SHE WAS CHEATING ON HIM!" House shot back.

"You're not supposed to use your PI guy to investigate your employee's spouses!" Wilson shouted back at House.

"WELL HE'S NOT INVESTIGATING MY PATIENTS, SO WHAT ELSE AM I GONNA USE HIM FOR?!" House yelled.

"You'd better go get your face looked at. It's already bruising," Wilson ordered him.

"Taub PUNCHED him?" Cuddy asked in shock.

"What HAPPENED?" Chase repeated. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 Around five minutes later, House limped down to the ER.

He found Cameron writing in a patient's chart and giving orders to one of the nurses on duty. As usual, she was dressed in her pink scrubs and a long- sleeved white t- shirt underneath. Her blond hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail.

"Got time for another trauma case?" House asked.

Cameron looked up from her chart and immediately noticed the reddish- purple mark that was on the right side of House's jaw.

"What happened to you?" Cameron asked, unable to hide the concern in her voice.

"Pimp finally caught up with me. I've been negligent about payment," House snarked.

Cameron rolled her eyes skyward.

"Sit down. Let me take a look," Cameron said as she led him to an empty bed.

House limped over to the bed and sat down as Cameron examined his jaw and cheek by palpating the area with her fingers. House kept his eyes intently focused on Cameron's face as she did so.

"It's not broken," Cameron stated. "You just need some ice."

House nodded. "So glad you worked for me for three years. It takes a keen medical mind to diagnose a bruised jaw," House said sarcastically.

"So who punched you? A patient or the patient's spouse?" Cameron said.

"Taub," House answered flatly.

Cameron narrowed her eyebrows.

"…Why would Taub punch you?" Cameron asked.

"I called his wife out on her philandering ways," House replied.

Cameron sighed. "Which you wouldn't have even known about if you didn't let your PI run rampant."

"My PI is fully trained and housebroken, thank you," House replied.

"I'll get you an ice pack," Cameron said walking away from him.

"Taub quit," House called out after her from his position on the hospital bed.

Cameron stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him, stunned.

"There's an opening on my team if you're interested," House told her, locking eyes with her once more. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Back in Boston, Chase was waiting outside of Victoria's Secret while Cuddy paid for the various items she had picked out when his cell phone rang in his pocket. He took it out and saw that Cameron was calling him.

"Hey," Chase said into the phone after opening it.

"Did Cuddy tell you what happened?" Cameron said, the excitement evident in her voice.

"Yeah. House got his clock cleaned by Taub," Chase replied.

"For a little guy, he packs quite a punch. House's jaw looks pretty bad," Cameron commented.

"Really," Chase said feigning interest.

"It's not broken or anything," Cameron added.

"Hmm," Chase said, not caring the least about House's jaw.

He knew Cameron all too well to know that there was something else behind the enthusiasm in her voice.

He waited patiently for her to reveal what she was dying to tell him.

"…House… asked me to come back to his team," Cameron said, struggling to hide her glee.

Chase paused before responding, taking a breath to steel himself.

"…What did you tell him?" Chase asked calmly.

"…I told him I'd think about it," Cameron replied.

Chase chuckled curtly through the phone.

"You just couldn't stay away, could you?" Chase asked with disgust.

"You and I both know that I miss the cases and that I don't feel challenged in the ER—" Cameron began.

"You're a department head! If you went back to House, you'd be his subordinate! You'd be taking a step backward," Chase argued.

"Yeah, working with one of the best doctors in the world is REALLY a step backward," Cameron argued back sarcastically.

"You don't want to go back to the job. You want to go back to HIM," Chase stated angrily.

At this, Cameron said nothing.

Upon hearing her silence, Chase knew that his interpretation was correct.

"Do what you want. I can't stop you," Chase said flatly.

"We should talk more about this before I make a decision," Cameron said gently, attempting to soften the blow.

"There's nothing to talk about. You already made up your mind," Chase said without any emotion in his voice.

There was another moment of tense silence between them before Cameron spoke again.

"… I'll call you later," Cameron said softly.

Chase closed his phone without saying good- bye to her.

Just then, Cuddy came out of Victoria's Secret holding two pink shopping bags.

"Ok, I'm all set," Cuddy said happily.

But her smile faded when she saw Chase's sullen expression.

"What's wrong?" Cuddy asked him with concern.

"Nothing," Chase mumbled, looking away from her.

TBC…


	10. Chapter 10

**OK, EVERYONE! HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**I AM GOING TO RESPOND TO YOUR COMMENTS RIGHT AFTER I POST THIS CHAPTER!  
**

**THANKS FOR YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS!  
**

**PLEASE READ, COMMENT AND ENJOY!!**

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**CHAPTER 10: Please read and comment.**

After Chase hung up, Cameron closed her cell phone dejectedly.

She knew that even before she had called Chase that he wouldn't be too happy with the fact that House had offered her a position back on his team.

But she didn't think that he wouldn't even want to discuss it with her.

She had told him the truth. She had missed the cases. The ER was gratifying in its own way, and heading up the Community Outreach program was rewarding as well.

But it wasn't the same as solving a puzzle that most doctors couldn't solve.

And at the same time, Cameron couldn't get Chase's words out of her head:

"YOU DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO THE JOB. YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO HIM."

"WHAT IF CHASE IS RIGHT?" Cameron thought to herself. "WHAT IF I'M NOT OVER HOUSE?"

At that moment, she decided that she needed to talk about this with someone.

Someone who understood House better than anyone else. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

A few moments later, Wilson heard a knock at his office door.

"Come in," Wilson said as he was looking down at his desk, filling out prescriptions for his patients.

Cameron walked into his office, shut the door behind her and leaned her back up against it. Wilson looked up from his work at her.

"What's up?" Wilson asked.

"…I need your advice," Cameron asked tentatively. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Not long afterwards, Wilson opened the glass door to House's private office. House was sitting at his desk with his feet up reading a tabloid magazine.

As soon as House saw the expression on Wilson's face, he knew that Wilson was going to annoy him.

"Did you know that Jennifer Morrison is dating that guy from 'Prison Break?'" House asked him, hoping to deflect the impending interrogation he knew was coming.  "House…" Wilson began.

"I wonder why she and that handsome Australian actor broke off their engagement," House continued.

"House," Wilson repeated with agitation.

"She was probably jealous of his hair," House snarked.

"We need to talk," Wilson said firmly.

House put down the tabloid on his desk.

"That's code for, 'I need to lecture you about something you did wrong.' Not interested," House told him.

"I just saw Cameron. She said that you offered her a position on your team," Wilson said.

"She's right," House replied.

"You actually want her to come back?" Wilson asked incredulously.

"I want Chase to THINK that I want her to come back," House replied.

Wilson scrunched up his face in confusion.

"You're going to have to explain that to me," he said.

"Oh Jimmy. You disappoint me," House chided.

Wilson continued to stare at House, still not understanding him.

"If Chase thinks that Cameron is considering coming back to me, he'll be too distracted and miserable to charm the thong panties off Cuddy this week," House explained to him in a pedantic manner.

"Why do you assume that Chase even WANTS to charm her panties off?" Wilson asked.

House shook his head slightly. "Are we talking about the same Cuddy?" he asked Wilson. "The one with the great breasts, the zesty bod—"

"Chase is dating Cameron," Wilson interrupted.

"And Chase and Cameron are having commitment issues," House told him.

"And how do you know that?" Wilson asked him.

"They've been dating for a year and a half, and there's no ring on Cameron's finger," House said.

"That doesn't prove anything," Wilson argued dismissively.

"And when I went down to the ER after Taub punched me, she told me that most nights, she stays over at Chase's place," House said.

"She… willingly offered that information?" Wilson asked.

"Yes. After I gave her the third degree about their relationship," House said.

"So what does that prove?" Wilson asked with exasperation.

"So either they're staying at Chase's place because his apartment is cleaner than hers, or because she doesn't WANT him at HER place. Which one makes more sense to you?" House asked him.

"Instead of trying to drive a larger wedge between Cameron and Chase, you should confront your feelings for Cuddy," Wilson told him.

"But this is so much more FUN," House pointed out.

"And confronting your own feelings actually takes some GUTS," Wilson said flatly.

At this, the smug expression on House's face disappeared. He looked away from Wilson's pointed stare and back down at his tabloid.

"Hope Cuddy is ok with you getting Cameron out of the ER," Wilson said before leaving House in his office alone.

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

At around 6:30 that evening, Chase and Cuddy were sitting at the small, round table in their hotel room, eating Chinese take- out that they had delivered to the room, and going over their presentation notes.

"The conference director assured me that the projector would be ready for our Powerpoint slides tomorrow," Cuddy told him.

Chase nodded quietly as he read one of the note- cards they had prepared for tomorrow.

"Do you get stage fright?" Cuddy joked.

Chase didn't answer her.

Instead, he took one of the fortune cookies that was lying on the table that had come with their meal. He opened the plastic and tossed it on the table.

He then opened the cookie, took out the fortune, read it to himself and shoved it in his pants pocket without eating the cookie.

Cuddy still hadn't asked Chase about his peculiar fortune cookie habit.

But based on how quiet he had been since they had returned from shopping that afternoon, she didn't think that this was the right time to ask him about it.

"…You're awfully quiet," Cuddy commented.

"Just trying to concentrate," Chase muttered.

"Chase, you've been re- reading the same card for the last ten minutes. What's going on?" Cuddy asked him.

Chase sat back in his chair and exhaled deeply. He kept his gaze on the table, and wore a defeated look on his face.

"House offered Cameron her old job back on his team," Chase told her.

Cuddy blinked her eyes in complete shock.

"WHAT?!" Cuddy exclaimed.

Chase, not paying mind to her reaction, kept his gaze on the table.

"You know, when she resigned a year and a half ago, I actually thought that she'd moved on," Chase said.

"…But she just can't let go of him," Chase added sadly.

But instead of sympathizing with Chase's plight at the moment, Cuddy angrily got up from the table and headed over to the bed. Chase watched her as she did so.

"That's it," Cuddy stated with an edge to her voice.

"What are you doing?" Chase asked her with confusion.

Cuddy didn't answer him.

Instead, she pressed the button for speakerphone and dialed House's cell number from memory. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

House was in his apartment watching "The New Yankee Workshop," when his cell phone rang. He took it out of his pocket, keeping his eyes glued to the TV as he opened it.

"If this isn't a naked beautiful woman, I'm hanging up," House said into the phone.

"Cameron ISN'T going back to your team," Cuddy stated firmly, ignoring House's greeting as she paced around the hotel room.

"Are you naked?" House asked her hopefully upon recognizing Cuddy's voice.

"Did you hear what I said?" Cuddy said as she continued to pace.

Chase merely watched Cuddy walk back and forth while she spoke to House on speakerphone.

"News travels fast, doesn't it?" House said knowingly.

"You want a new fellow, then INTERVIEW someone. Cameron's staying in the ER," Cuddy told him.

"Cameron doesn't WANT to be in the ER," House said.

At this, Chase felt a dull ache inside him. Not knowing what else to do, he looked down at his lap.

"Then she should either apply for another position in this hospital or let her look for a job in ANOTHER hospital," Cuddy stated, completely unaware of Chase's feelings.

Chase suddenly looked up at Cuddy, stunned.

"You're willing to FIRE Cameron to prevent her from working for me? Two seconds ago, you said she was needed in the ER," House told her.

"I'm willing to fire Cameron to prevent YOU from going over my head," Cuddy told him feeling her blood boil.

"You're pretty sexy when you assert your dominance. Chase must be on the bottom this week," House said.

Chase felt a wicked flush creep up his neck and his cheeks at House's comment.

But Cuddy didn't acknowledge Chase or what House had said in any way as she continued her tirade.

"You have NO authority to make ANY decision regarding employment without my approval!" Cuddy stated.

"Since when? I fired Chase, didn't I?" House said.

"And I hired him back," Cuddy stated, almost in triumph.

"And now we know why, don't we?" House said.

Cuddy stopped pacing and stared at the phone.

"You didn't hire him back because he's a great doctor," House said, his voice dripping with disdain and sarcasm.

"You hired him back because you can't STAND it when I usurp your absolute authority," House stated.

Cuddy felt her stomach turn at House's words.

"That's why you put Foreman back on my team to watch every move I make—" House began.

"Foreman needed a job and you were playing 'Survivor' with job applicants!" Cuddy exclaimed.

"That's why you put Wilson in charge this week—" House continued.

"You're LUCKY I put Wilson in charge instead of someone else in that hospital that you've managed to alienate with your insanity!" Cuddy shot back.

"And that's why you re- hired Chase again. To SPITE me," House continued.

A curt chuckle escaped Cuddy's lips.

"You're such an a$$," Cuddy told him over the phone.

"But I'm right about Chase," House shot back.

"No. You're NOT," Cuddy stated vehemently.

"I wonder if you would deny this so strongly if Chase wasn't in the room with you," House said.

Before Cuddy could respond, she heard House hang up on the other end.

"Goddamn him," Cuddy said angrily.

"It's true, isn't it?" Chase asked her flatly.

At that moment, Cuddy suddenly became aware of the fact that Chase was in the room with her. She spun around to face him.

And she was met with a hurt look on his face.

"You hired me back because I'm a pawn in your little game with him," Chase said softly and slowly.

"Chase… that's not why I hired you back…" Cuddy said, gently shaking her head.

Chase chuckled quietly.

"I'm such an idiot," he said.

Chase then got up abruptly from the small, round table he was sitting at, grabbed his leather jacket off the back of the chair and headed for the door. Cuddy went after him and grabbed his arm.

"Chase, you have to believe me," Cuddy said. "That's not why I hired you back."

Chase met her pleading gaze and contemplated at least a dozen things to say back to her.

But instead he shrugged off her hold on him, turned away from her, opened the door and left her alone in their room. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

A few moments later, Chase got into a cab that had pulled up to the front entrance of the hotel.

"Where to?" the driver asked him.

Chase had left the hotel room in such a rush that he absolutely no idea where he wanted the driver to take him.

He just knew that he wanted to go somewhere that would help him forget about Cuddy, Cameron and House for a while.

"…O' Sullivans Pub," he told the driver.

TBC…


	11. Chapter 11

**OK, EVERYONE! HERE'S MY NEXT CHAPTER!**

**THANKS FOR ALL THE GREAT REVIEWS!**

**PLEASE READ, COMMENT AND ENJOY!! **

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**CHAPTER 11: Please read and comment.**

Around ten minutes later, Chase got out of a cab in front of O' Sullivan's Pub.

As he opened the door, he was surprised to see that for a Thursday night, the place wasn't that crowded. Only around half of the tables were filled and the bar area only had a few patrons at it.

Chase saw Sophie standing behind the bar. Tonight, her long- wavy hair was down. She was wearing a black v- neck shirt and a pair of low rise jeans. A pair of stylish rectangular framed glasses adorned her face as she was leaning over the bar and reading a large textbook.

Chase sat down in front of her on the other side of the bar. Sophie, completely engrossed in what she was reading, didn't even notice Chase sit down.

"Whaddya got in the way of Scotch?" Chase asked.

Upon hearing and recognizing Chase's voice, Sophie looked up from her book. She took her glasses off and placed them down on the bar.

Her heart fluttered inside her upon seeing him.

But she could tell by the forlorn expression on his face that he was in no mood to flirt with her tonight.

Without saying anything, she turned around and grabbed a bottle of Glenlivet off the shelf behind her along with a small scotch glass. She poured the single malt amber- colored liquid into it, filling about one- third of the glass.

One Sophie had poured him his drink, Chase shot it down his throat instead of sipping it, putting the empty glass on the table. He jutted his chin forwards, indicating for Sophie to refill it.

Sophie's brow furrowed in concern, pausing momentarily before she poured a slightly smaller amount of scotch into the glass, keeping her eyes focused on him.

But Chase was too busy staring at her textbook resting on the bar to notice that she had poured him less scotch than in his first glass.

"Gross Anatomy huh? You a med student?" Chase asked, in a slightly flat voice.

Sophie glanced down at her book, slightly surprised that he knew what she was reading without seeing the cover. She then looked back up at Chase.

"Unfortunately," Sophie replied.

Chase arched his eyebrow. "You don't like med school?" he asked.

"No I love it," Sophie replied. "I just get frustrated when I have trouble," she added.

"What are you having trouble with?" Chase asked with interest.

"Remembering this sequence of bones," Sophie replied, nodding slightly at the anatomical diagram of the human wrist bones in her textbook.

Chase focused on the book.

"'Scared Lovers Try Positions That They Can't Handle,'" Chase stated matter- of- factly, keeping his gaze on the diagram.

"… Excuse me?" Sophie asked with confusion.

"It's a mnemonic for remembering the bones in the wrist," Chase explained. "Scaphoid, Lunate, Triquetrum, Pisiform, Trapezium, Trapezoid, Capitate, and Hamate," Chase rattled off.

Sophie looked back down at the book, her eyes widening slightly, realizing that Chase was right.

"Are you a doctor?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Chase replied, slamming back the second glass of scotch she had poured him.

Sophie looked Chase's newly emptied glass in front of her, pursing her lips together.

"…Bad day?" Sophie asked him tentatively.

Chase nodded and pushed the glass slightly forward towards her, indicating for her to fill it up again.

But instead, Sophie took the bottle off the bar top and placed it underneath the bar. She leaned forward on the bar on her elbows and folded her arms on the bar top.

"Feel like talking about it?" she asked gently.

Chase met her deep brown eyes with his now slightly heavily- lidded gaze. Chase rarely drank hard alcohol and was already beginning to feel its effects.

Realizing that Sophie wasn't about to pour him another drink, he decided that he had nothing to lose by spilling his guts to her.

"…Well, today I found out that my boss hates the way I dress and that she only keeps me on staff to piss off my old boss who my girlfriend is still in love with," Chase said bluntly.

"How was YOUR day?" Chase asked her, tilting his head slightly, with a deadpanned look.

Sophie smirked. "Apparently, not as eventful as yours," she quipped.

A short chuckle escaped Chase's lips.

"So why are you working here if you're a med student?" Chase asked her.

"I used to work here when I was an undergrad, and my old boss always lets me pick up a few extra bucks when we have a break in between trimesters," Sophie explained.

"Do you charge for therapy by the hour?" Chase asked.

"I'm a good listener," Sophie replied with a soft smile.

Chase nodded.

"How do you know that your girlfriend is in love with your old boss?" Sophie asked him.

Chase exhaled. "She's been in love with him for years," he told her. "We used to work together before we started dating… but then I got fired… and she quit… and then…" Chase trailed off.

Sophie nodded slowly, encouraging him to continue.

"…I knew our relationship was doomed from the start. She still brings him cases… she gets involved with his new team… she even sent his mother a floral arrangement in his name when his dad died," Chase said in disgust.

Sophie kept her gaze on Chase, saying nothing, allowing him to vent out his frustrations.

At that moment, Chase looked up and realized that she was staring at him as he prattled on.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be burdening you with all this. I don't even know you," Chase apologized.

"It's all right," Sophie said.

Chase met her eyes with his. Her eyes were warm and deep enough to drown in. She laughed slightly.

"What's so funny?" he asked her.

"It just occurred to me that I don't even know your name," Sophie replied.

Chase smiled. "Robert. Robert Chase," he said, extending his hand across the bar to her.

Sophie took his hand. "Nice to meet you, Robert Chase," she said.

Chase held her hand in his a bit longer than he should have, still gazing into her eyes.

Sophie blushed, feeling his beautiful blue- green eyes and his soft smile penetrate right through her.

"You're beautiful when you blush," Chase said all of a sudden.

Sophie felt her breath catch in her throat and the blush on her cheeks deepen.

"Actually, you're beautiful when you're not blushing, too," Chase added.

Sophie looked down at her hand in his. He was caressing the top of her hand with his thumb. She could feel her heartbeat quicken at his touch. She looked back up at him shyly.

Chase slowly leaned forward across the bar. His eyes closed, as he attempted to kiss her.

But instead of giving into her desire to receive his kiss, she backed up.

"I… think I'm gonna call you a cab," Sophie said gently.

At this, Chase opened his eyes. His face inches away from hers, he let go of her hand, looked away in embarrassment, quickly got up from his stool and left the bar.

Sophie ran after him, finding him outside trying to hail a cab.

"Robert, wait," Sophie said.

"I shouldn't have done that," Chase muttered, his arm still raised.

Sophie put her hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn towards her, meeting her gaze once more. Her delicate facial features were illuminated by the ambient street lights.

"I'm VERY flattered…" Sophie said sincerely, looking up at him.

"But I also know that we both might regret it tomorrow morning," she added.

"You'd regret spending the night with me?" Chase asked sadly.

Sophie took a deep breath before answering him.

"…I'd regret it meaning nothing to you and being the other woman," she replied.

Chase nodded reluctantly in agreement.

At that moment, a yellow taxicab pulled up close to the curb next to them.

"Thanks for not letting me do something stupid," Chase said to her sheepishly.

Sophie smiled. "Thanks for the mnemonic," she replied.

Sophie then opened the door to the cab, allowing Chase to get inside. Leaving the door open, he looked back up at her once more.

"G' night, Sophie," Chase said from his position in the backseat of the cab.

"G' night, Robert," Sophie replied, closing the door of the cab gently.

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A while later, Chase returned to his and Cuddy's hotel room, holding a white paper bag in his hand.

Upon entering the room, he saw Cuddy lying on her side on the bed, facing away from the door. She was still wearing the skirt of her suit and camisole she had worn that day, but her jacket was hung up on one of the backs of the chairs at the table.

Chase then spotted three empty tiny bottles of varied brands of hard alcohol that Cuddy had presumably found in their mini fridge.

"You ok?" Chase asked her.

"I'm fine," Cuddy replied, not turning around to face him.

"You sure?" Chase asked again.

Cuddy turned around on the bed to face Chase. Streaks of mascara had run down her face and her eyes were slightly red from crying.

Chase pursed his lips together sympathetically when he saw her face. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to her, placing the white bag on the night- stand as he did so.

"I'm so pathetic," Cuddy muttered.

Chase took a box of tissues off the night- stand and handed them to her. Cuddy took the tissue from him and gently dabbed at her face and eyes.

"I run an entire hospital. I'm in charge of hundreds of people. I'm one of three female Chiefs of Medicine at major hospitals in this country," Cuddy said.

"And I let House walk all over me," she added.

"You don't do that," Chase said gently.

"Yeah, right," Cuddy said in sarcasm and disgust.

"You're the one who said that you pick your battles with House," Chase said.

Cuddy looked away from him, staring absentmindedly at the ugly pattern on their hotel comforter. Chase lifted her chin to meet his gaze.

"And you've said 'no' to him plenty of times," Chase pointed out.

"I can't count the number of times I've said 'no' to him on one hand, Chase—" Cuddy said.

"You've said 'no' to him when it MATTERS," Chase interrupted her.

Cuddy met his gaze with sadness in her eyes.

"Chase, I didn't hire you back to spite House," Cuddy said. "You're a great doctor—"

"You made me Chief Surgeon without having any seniority on the surgical staff," Chase told her slowly and evenly.

"You have great experience and you're scrubbed in hundreds of times—" Cuddy protested.

"And House has alienated at least half of the surgeons in your hospital," Chase continued.

At this, Cuddy said nothing. Chase exhaled deeply.

"You put me in charge of the surgical staff because you knew that if House needed to save a life, that he could manipulate ME into doing whatever procedure needed to be done," Chase told her.

Cuddy smiled in embarrassment, knowing that he was right.

"You must hate me," she said.

"No, I don't," Chase admitted.

"Why not?" Cuddy asked him.

"Because at the same time, you put me in a position where I CAN say no to him if I don't agree with him without the fear of losing my job," Chase replied.

Cuddy smiled slightly at his answer. Chase returned her smile with a lopsided grin.

"...The raise, the better benefits package and the better parking space didn't hurt either," he added.

Cuddy laughed and shook her head.

"He's such a jerk," Cuddy said.

"Yep," Chase agreed.

They kept their smiles on their faces as they continued to look at each other.

"What's in the bag?" Cuddy said, jutting her chin at the night- stand.

"Oh… I bought you a present," Chase said, turning around to retrieve the bag and handing it to her.

Cuddy opened the bag and grimaced when she saw what was inside. She took out a small rectangular box wrapped in plastic.

"'Breathe Right' Nasal Strips?" Cuddy asked in confusion.

"They're supposed to stop snoring. I figured I'd try to give you a good night's sleep tonight," Chase replied.

Chase then took the box from her. He tore off the plastic wrap, opened the box, took one of the nasal strips out and pressed it down across bridge of his nose, causing Cuddy to laugh out loud.

"You look ridiculous," Cuddy told him.

"Thanks," Chase said with a dazzling smile.

"Here. Gimme," Cuddy said, taking the box from him.

She took one of the nasal strips out and put one of them on her own nose.

"So you won't feel left out," Cuddy quipped.

"Now THAT'S sexy," Chase joked.

"You think so?" Cuddy asked.

Chase's face became serious as his eyes traced her entire face and his heart beat quicker in his chest.

"…Yeah… I do," he said.

Cuddy felt her breathing hitch and her own pulse quicken. She could smell the faint scent of alcohol and whatever was left of the soap he had used that morning on him.

Before she could change her mind or think too much, Cuddy leaned closer to him and brushed her lips against his once.

Their lips parted and their gazes locked again.

Cuddy touched his face, kissing him once more, softly and searchingly.

Chase wrapped his arms around her back and lowered her down to the bed, his lips never leaving hers as he did so.

**TBC…**

**THINGS ARE GONNA HEAT UP IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!  
**

**STAY TUNED! **


	12. Chapter 12

**OK EVERYONE!**

**SORRY FOR THE DELAY, BUT ...**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!**

**THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS! I WILL RESPOND TO THEM INDIVIDUALLY RIGHT AFTER THIS IS POSTED!**

**PLEASE READ, COMMENT AND ENJOY!!**

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**CHAPTER 12: Please read and comment.**

As Chase lowered Cuddy down to the bed, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. She raked her fingers through the back of his hair as he pressed his body against her.

Cuddy moaned softly into his mouth as his tongue gently touched hers.

Cuddy then fisted the back of Chase's hair, delving her tongue deeply into his mouth, surprising him.

He was even more surprised when she suddenly rolled both of them over and straddled him. She sat up slightly, ripped the nose strips off both their faces, and began to quickly unbutton his shirt.

Finding the hem of her camisole and feeling the soft skin of her waist under his fingertips, Chase tried to sit up to peel her camisole off.

But she pushed him back down on the bed before he could do so. His eyes widened at how she had taken the lead.

But as his cock twitched against her pelvis, he realized that he didn't mind being dominated by his boss one bit

Cuddy made quick work of Chase's button down shirt and tossed it onto the floor.

Chase could feel his heart hammer inside his chest as she lowered herself down to him, licking and sucking on his earlobe while she caressed his bare chest.

Chase's eyes fluttered closed as the intoxicating scent of vanilla plus something that was just uniquely her washed over him.

He placed his hands underneath her camisole, reaching up underneath it, caressing her back, making her shudder.

He grinned broadly at the knowledge that he could evoke such a response in her.

Cuddy began to trail her lips and tongue down Chase's neck to his chest, grazing her teeth against his nipple.

Chase gasped at the contact.

"You like that?" Cuddy asked breathlessly.

Chase nodded vigorously, feeling his erection strain against the front of his pants.

Cuddy grinned against his flat nipple, biting ever so slightly. Chase's breath caught in his throat.

He grabbed her wrist gently but firmly.

"Sit up," Chase told her.

Cuddy sat up, still straddling his body. Before she could protest, Chase reached for the hem of her camisole and peeled it up over her head, causing the waves of her hair to tumble around her shoulders as he tossed the top somewhere in the room.

Chase became overwhelmed at the sight of the smooth, fair skin of Cuddy's torso, her breasts peering over ivory demi- cup bra, and the incredibly sexy look on her face. His hands explored her toned abdomen and rib cage wantonly.

Cuddy's breathing became shallow at his touch. She closed her eyes as she desperately wishing he would touch her higher.

But as Chase continued to touch her, his hands paused just underneath her breasts.

Cuddy opened her eyes and saw the hesitation on Chase's face that contradicted the passion in his eyes.

"…I… don't think we should…" Chase began hesitantly.

"DON'T THINK, Chase," Cuddy told him firmly.

At this, Chase reached up and cupped her breasts in his hands over the delicate fabric of her bra, a moan escaping his lips as he did so. She lolled her head back and whimpered passionately.

The site of Cuddy's long, graceful neck, her partially exposed voluptuous breasts and the sounds emanating from her lips was too much.

Pulling her closer, he sat upright from his prone position on the bed and buried her face in between her breasts.

Chase reached around behind her back and popped the closure of her bra open in one motion. He peeled off her bra, tossed it on the floor and greedily took her right breast into his mouth.

Little cries of passion escaped her lips as Chase suckled on her erect nipple.

Still straddling him, she rocked her hips against the bulge in his pants, causing him to suck harder.

As his mouth remained on her breast, he moved his hands down her sides to her hips.

Cuddy took his hands before they could trail down too far her body and placed them back on her naked breasts.

"…Don't stop," she murmured.

Chase eagerly engulfed more of her beautiful breast in his mouth, cupping them more insistently, stroking her other nipple with his thumb.

She felt deliciously wet between her legs at the sight and feeling of him this close, this intimate.

Keeping his lips on her breast, Chase lowered Cuddy onto her back on the bed.

He then trailed his mouth down her body to her abdomen as he found the hem of her skirt.

Her mouth gaped slightly open, she watched with anticipation as he slowly hiked up one side of her skirt and slid his hand beneath the fabric against her thigh, thrilled to discover that she was wearing a thong.

Hiking up the other side of her skirt, he moved his full lips down further.

When his lips brushed against the insides of her soft, toned thighs, Cuddy spread her legs for him.

Chase wasted no time.

He unzipped her skirt and peeled it down past her thighs, calves and toes, revealing the matching ivory lacy thong that had been hiding underneath. He began to nibble and kiss on the inside of her thigh, making her legs quiver.

"C- Come up here," Cuddy managed to say.

Chase willingly complied. He shifted back up to lie next to her, caressing the lower part of her abdomen teasingly just above the thin elastic of her panties.

"Tell me what you want," Chase whispered huskily into her ear. "My fingers… or my mouth…"

"…I don't know…" Cuddy whispered.

Chase could tell that this was one of the first times that Cuddy wasn't in control of a situation.

He brushed his lips against hers, never taking possession.

"I'll do whatever you say," Chase told her against her lips.

"Touch me," Cuddy begged, her lips barely touching his.

Chase delved his fingertips underneath the thin scrap of her panties, finding her moist, inviting core, causing her to cry out.

Cuddy arched back on the bed, moaning and writhing her hips as Chase pleasured her delicate folds with his fingertips.

He couldn't take his eyes off her face. Her eyes were closed, her long lashes almost grazing the tips of her cheekbones, which were flushed.

She was stunningly beautiful.

His breathing became even more shallow as he could feel her getting closer.

Suddenly, he felt her tiny hand on his, between her legs.

"No… stop…" Cuddy breathed.

"Am I hurting you?" Chase asked nervously.

Cuddy shook her head. "No… it's just…" she tried to say in between breaths.

He kept his hand in between her legs as she met his gaze with her smoldering eyes.

"I don't want it to be over yet…" Cuddy told him.

Chase nuzzled her cheek with his nose and closed his eyes.

"…It won't be…" Chase promised.

Cuddy turned her face towards his and kissed him desperately as the pressure built up between her legs at Chase's insistent touch.

Chase bit his lower lip as he felt her contract and bloom against his fingers.

Cuddy whimpered again as the intense pressure washed over her, tipping her over the edge.

But that wasn't enough for Chase.

He was determined for her to cry out his name tonight, even if the entire hotel heard her.

He quickly removed her panties. She helped him out of his jeans and boxers.

He pulled the sheet over them, pressing his naked body against hers, nuzzling his face into her neck, sucking gently on her soft skin.

And then he stopped suddenly. He lifted his head from the crook of her neck with a worried look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Cuddy asked him.

"Condoms… I didn't bring any…" Chase began.

"I have in my purse," Cuddy reassured him, jutting her chin towards the night- stand.

Chase nodded. He remained as close as he could to her as he groped for her purse off the night- stand. As Cuddy kissed his shoulder, he rummaged through her purse with one hand until he found what he was looking for.

He sheathed himself quickly.

Their eyes locked on each other, knowing that there was no turning back.

She took the lead once more and guided him into her. He groaned at the feeling of how tight she felt around him.

He began to thrust into her deeply, slowly, his eyes never leaving her face.

"Oh god…" Cuddy moaned with each push of Chase's hips. Her darkened eyes locked on his.

Chase's lips parted slightly as he saw that she was close again.

"Chase…" Cuddy whimpered as his thrusts became deeper and deeper.

At the sound of his last name escape her lips in such a passionate manner, he felt intense pressure build up quickly inside him.

"Oh god CHASE!" Cuddy suddenly cried out.

"Oh… Lisa…" Chase groaned into her neck at his release.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Around twenty minutes had passed since they had rode out their orgasms and their breathing had relaxed.

And after twenty minutes, neither Chase nor Cuddy had said one word to each other.

Chase was lying on his back in their bed, a thin film of sweat glistening his brow. His arm was around Cuddy as she nestled against his bare chest. The hotel sheet covered Cuddy just above her breasts, exposing her shoulder and arm and Chase's chest.

"You have a heart murmur," Cuddy commented softly, as her head remained on Chase's chest while she listened intently to his heart.

Chase ran his fingers through Cuddy's raven soft curls and looked down at her slightly.

"I know," Chase replied, matching her soft tone.

"How long have you had it? Maybe you should get checked," Cuddy suggested.

"It's just an innocent murmur. I've had it since I was a child. It's nothing to be worried about," Chase reassured her.

Cuddy nodded, saying nothing else.

She then lifted her head, resting her chin on his bare chest, looking up at him.

"Ch… Robert?" Cuddy corrected herself, feeling suddenly awkward about calling him by his last name after they had made love.

"Hmmm?" Chase replied.

"… Can I ask you something?" Cuddy asked tentatively.

"Sure," Chase said.

"Why do you put the fortunes from the fortune cookies in your pocket?" Cuddy asked.

Chase smiled at her with closed lips.

He shifted slightly in the bed and placed both arms around her delicate, naked frame.

"When I was a kid in Melbourne, I used to play football… you know, soccer…" Chase began.

"…And my dad would never come to my football matches…" Chase continued.

Cuddy nodded, keeping her gaze on him.

"So… after every match… if my mum was having a good day… she would take me out to our favorite Chinese restaurant… and when the fortune cookies would come at the end of the meal, my mum made up this tradition…" Chase continued.

"We'd pick our fortune cookies off the table, exchange them with each other, open them up, read the fortunes to ourselves and stuff them in our pockets," Chase explained.

"Why wouldn't you read them to each other?" Cuddy asked, slightly confused.

Chase brushed the stray locks of hair out of her eyes as he gazed at her.

"My mum said that if we read them aloud, then they wouldn't come true," Chase replied.

Cuddy smiled softly. "Have any of them come true?" she asked.

"A few," Chase said, cryptically.

"Which ones?" Cuddy asked.

"'You are going to have some new clothes,'" Chase quoted with an impish grin, making an obvious reference to the Hugo Boss suit she had purchased for him.

Cuddy swatted him playfully on his chest.

"You did NOT get that one," she stated in disbelief.

"I swear. On the Tuesday evening before we left for the conference at your place," Chase declared, still grinning.

Cuddy chuckled and then looked at him contemplatively, remembering that they had ordered Chinese take out that evening.

"What did your fortune say tonight?" she asked him.

"'A good time to start something new,'" Chase replied softly, gazing at her with gentle eyes.

Cuddy inhaled, holding the breath in slightly before letting it out.

She looked away from Chase and rested her head back down on his chest, idly caressing his skin, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"What do we do now?" Cuddy asked him.

Chase paused before answering.

"I have no idea," Chase replied sincerely.

It only took them a few moments longer before they both fell into a deep sleep.

**TBC…**

**HOPED YOU ALL LIKED IT!**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!**


	13. Chapter 12 Part 2: The Morning After

**HEY EVERYONE!**

**THANKS FOR THE GREAT REVIEWS!**

**HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED IT!**

**THIS CHAPTER IS A LITTLE SHORTER, BUT THE NEXT ONE WILL BE LONGER. I PROMISE!**

**IN THE MEANTIME, PLEASE READ, COMMENT AND ENJOY!!**

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**CHAPTER 12-- PART 2: THE MORNING AFTER…**

Back in Princeton, House was tossing and turning alone in his bed.

He couldn't stop thinking about the fight that he and Cuddy had over the phone a few hours earlier.

House had tried to dismiss it. He and Cuddy had had plenty of fights before. They were constantly at odds with each other. It was a power play between them that had lasted for years, and they both enjoyed it.

But for some reason, this time felt different.

He could imagine her cheeks flushing as she argued every point with him. How she had stood her ground and had refused to back down when House had informed her that he had offered Cameron her old job back.

The truth was, he couldn't care less whether or not Cameron came back onto his team.

He had just wanted to distract Chase for the rest of the week.

But he couldn't ignore the gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach as he imagined a multitude of scenarios as to how his idea to keep Chase away from Cuddy may have backfired on him.

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

Early the next morning, at around 6 AM, Wilson woke up to the unmistakable sound of the repetitive knocking of a cane against his front door.

Wearing soft cotton grey pajama pants and a navy blue t- shirt, Wilson rubbed his face as he answered the door and saw House on the other side.

House arched his eyebrow upon seeing Wilson fully dressed.

"So… yes… we have no bananas today?" House snarked, referring to the absence of his banana boxers.

But it was Wilson's turned to be surprised.

House's eyes had even more dark circles under them than usual, his hair was even more unkempt, and the scruff on his face was decidedly darker.

"You look horrible," Wilson stated. "Bad night?"

"Couldn't sleep," House replied, looking absentmindedly down Wilson's hallway.

"…Your leg, Cuddy or both?" Wilson asked knowingly.

House looked down at the floor momentarily before meeting Wilson's eyes with his.

"…Feel like going to Boston with me today to hear a seminar on pregnancy mirror syndrome?" House asked him.

Wilson's jaw dropped before his face broke out into a broad grin.

"You're going to tell Cuddy how you feel about her!" Wilson exclaimed excitedly.

"So is that a yes?" House asked impatiently.

"I'll call the airline and book us a shuttle to Boston," Wilson stated, leading House into his apartment. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------- 

About an hour later, back in Boston, Cuddy was slowly waking up to the sound of her and Chase's hotel room door opening.

"That'll be $15.50, sir," she heard a male voice said.

"Keep the change," she heard Chase reply.

Cuddy tried to sit up in the bed, but a dull headache caused by the alcohol she had consumed the night before prevented her from doing so.

She slumped back down onto the pillow and closed her eyes.

But as she did, the aroma of fresh coffee permeated her nostrils.

Still lying on the bed, she opened her eyes to see Chase wheeling a rolling cart closer to the bed. On the top of the cart was a coffee pot, two coffee cups, a creamer, a sugar bowl and a basket of assorted rolls and mini muffins.

Cuddy could also see that Chase was only wearing a pair of light blue boxers.

And for some reason, despite what had happened between them the night before, his casualness around her and the fact that he had ordered them breakfast made her uneasy.

But Chase had a soft smile on his face, completely at ease as he rolled the cart up to the bed.

"I figured you might like some coffee," Chase said, pouring some coffee into her cup.

Cuddy sat up in the bed slowly, taking the cup carefully from him.

"Thanks," she said, taking a sip.

"Headache?" Chase asked her.

"A little," Cuddy admitted.

Chase reached over to the cart behind the coffee pot, producing a bottle of Advil. He took two pills out of the bottle and handed them to her.

"Thanks," Cuddy said again, thinking she sounded like an idiot as she took the pills from him and swallowing them both together.

Chase nodded, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

They drank their coffee in silence for a few moments.

"…We should probably talk," Chase finally said.

Cuddy exhaled. "Probably," she agreed.

Chase placed his coffee cup down on the cart, sat down on the bed with her, and gazed deeply into Cuddy's eyes.

"Lisa… last night—" Chase began.

"Was a mistake. I know," Cuddy interrupted, nodding her head.

Chase was completely taken aback at her interruption.

He had never expected her to say that.

"I'm not saying it wasn't incredible, because it WAS," Cuddy assured him.

Chase continued to listen to her, feeling a lump form in his throat as he continued.

"But we were both hurting… and a little drunk," Cuddy continued.

"And… you're with Cameron… and I'm your boss…" Cuddy added.

Chase found himself nodding slowly in agreement, as if he was on autopilot.

Cuddy raised her eyebrows slightly at him.

"You do feel the same way, don't you?" Cuddy asked him.

Knowing that he was expected to say something, Chase suddenly found his voice.

"No, I do. You're right. We both had a weak moment last night," Chase agreed quickly as convincingly as he could.

Cuddy sighed in relief, visibly relaxed at Chase's response.

"I'm so glad you agree," Cuddy said. "I was worried that things were going to be awkward between us… "

Chase had no idea how to respond.

He merely shrugged and laughed slightly.

"I'm gonna go shower," she told him with a friendly smile. "Our presentation starts at 8:30 and we shouldn't be late."

She then got up out of the bed and headed for the shower, leaving Chase sitting on the bed by himself.

**TBC…**


	14. Chapter 13

**OK, EVERYONE!! HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS! THEY MAKE ME HAPPY! **

**PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST AS OFTEN AS YOU LIKE!**

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**CHAPTER 13: Please read and comment.**

Chase was still sitting on the bed in their hotel room after Cuddy had gone into the shower, replaying what she had just said to him in his mind:

"LAST NIGHT WAS A MISTAKE… WE WERE BOTH HURTING AND A LITTLE DRUNK… AND YOU'RE WITH CAMERON… AND I'M YOUR BOSS…"

As he heard the water from the shower begin to run in the bathroom, Chase wondered how the he11 he was going to spend the next two days with Cuddy without it being incredibly uncomfortable when his cell phone rang on the night- stand.

Chase leaned over to grab the phone. His stomach turned when he saw Cameron's number on the caller ID. He took a deep breath before answering.

"Hey," Chase said, trying to keep his voice even.

"Hey. How was your night?" Cameron asked him.

Chase swallowed. "… Fine," he said nonchalantly.

"Your back must be killing you after sleeping on that cot all week," Cameron commented.

Chase could hear his heart beating in his ears as he replayed the incredibly intense and passionate sex between he and Cuddy the night before, and how they held each other and talked intimately before falling asleep.

"It's ok," Chase lied, hoping his voice wasn't cracking.

"That's good," Cameron said.

There was a moment of what seemed like tense silence between them.

"…So are you ready for your presentation?" Cameron asked.

"Yep," Chase replied.

Cameron exhaled in exasperation. "Chase, why don't you just come clean, already?" she asked him.

Chase's stomach rose up into his throat.

"SHE COULDN'T POSSIBLY KNOW ABOUT ME AND CUDDY," Chase thought nervously.

"You're still pouting because House asked me to come back to his team, aren't you?" Cameron accused him.

Chase breathed an inward sigh of relief. It was clear that Cameron didn't know anything.

And he wasn't about to tell her anything, either.

So he remained silent, allowing Cameron to make her own conclusions.

"Robert, my decision to go back to House has nothing to do with you—" Cameron began.

"Are you starting today?" Chase interrupted her, trying to keep her off the trail.

"Nope. House didn't come in today," Cameron replied.

Upon hearing this, Chase became mildly interested. He couldn't remember a single day that House hadn't shown up for work.

"So when are you going back to him?" Chase asked her.

"Not sure really," Cameron told him.

At that moment, Chase heard the water turn off in the shower. He knew that Cuddy would be out of the bathroom momentarily.

And for some reason, he didn't want Cuddy to know that he had been talking to Cameron.

"Look, I should go. I've got to shower and get ready for the presentation," Chase told her.

"… Ok," Cameron said tentatively.

Chase exhaled. "We'll talk about it when I get home, ok?" he said, trying to appease her.

"Ok," Cameron repeated. "Good luck today," she added.

"Thanks," Chase replied, thinking that he could use all the luck he could get.

After he and Cameron had hung up, he glanced over at the three tiny empty bottles of alcohol on the night- stand on Cuddy's side of the bed.

He suddenly remembered that he neglected to pay for the two scotches he ordered at O' Sullivan's last night.

Just then, Cuddy came out of the shower, wearing only a towel wrapped around her body that barely covered her. Her lovely skin was still wet and glistening. Her damp hair was hanging about her shoulders.

Upon seeing her, Chase couldn't help but laugh in disgust.

Cuddy looked down at herself.

"What?" Cuddy asked.

"Nothing," Chase mumbled and walked past her into the bathroom. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

At around 8:30 AM, Chase and Cuddy walked out onto the stage of the Hyatt Regency's convention center ballroom after being introduced by one of the facilitators of the convention. The convention center was filled with around 500 members of the medical community.

House and Wilson were sitting in the very back row.

As Chase and Cuddy began their presentation on Pregnancy Mirror Syndrome, Wilson turned down his lower lip as he looked at Chase, who was wearing the Hugo Boss suit, shirt and tie that Cuddy had purchased for him that week.

"I didn't know Chase owned a suit that nice," Wilson remarked, sounding slightly impressed.

But instead of making a comment, House didn't reply.

He was took busy watching Cuddy.

Cuddy was wearing a dark plum fitted jacket and matching pencil skirt that hugged her curves perfectly, and a lacy white camisole with a plunging neckline underneath. Her black patent leather stilettos accented her lean, shapely legs.

She was incredibly confident as she introduced their case.

"And now, my colleague, Dr. Chase, will discuss the symptoms that Emma presented with upon admission," Cuddy said to the audience.

Chase nodded in response as they had practiced over the last few weeks and took the laser pointer from her to use for their PowerPoint slides.

But as he did so, their fingers brushed against each others.

Chase kept his gaze on Cuddy as he touched her delicate, soft fingers, remembering how they had felt against his skin last night.

Cuddy's eyes locked with Chase for a split second, but then she looked away, maintaining her professionalism.

But not before House noticed. 

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After Chase and Cuddy had presented their case at the conference, they and many members of the audience adjourned to another room for brunch.

Despite the awkwardness between them, their presentation had been a resounding success.

Chase and Cuddy stood next to each other as many of the doctors who had been in the audience congratulated them, commenting on how well they worked together as a team.

Using the large crowd to his advantage, House remained leaning against the wall, watching Chase and Cuddy from as far away as he possibly could.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go talk to her!" Wilson said impatiently.

House's gaze remained on Cuddy.

"No," he told him.

"We came all this way, and now you're not gonna DO anything?" Wilson demanded.

House glanced at Wilson momentarily before refocusing back on Cuddy, wishing that Wilson would just disappear and stop bothering him.

"You're afraid," Wilson announced.

House rolled his eyes. "You're annoying," he replied.

"House, if you don't take a risk, nothing great is ever going to happen," Wilson told him.

House continued to stare at Cuddy from across the room, noticing the several inches of space that Chase and Cuddy had made between their bodies as they spoke to the other doctors at the conference.

He noticed how Chase kept looking at Cuddy every so often forlornly, but that Cuddy refused to make eye contact with him in return.

"Something already happened," House said barely above a whisper.

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

At the same time House was staring at Cuddy and Chase from across the room, Cuddy kept a plastered smile on her face as she spoke to the doctors who had listened to her and Chase's presentation.

The same confident smile she gave when she was trying to get money out of a donor for the hospital.

She could feel Chase staring at her every so often, but she refused to acknowledge him in any way.

Just then, Cuddy's smile grew broader as a male doctor in his fifties that she recognized came up to them.

"Lisas! Great job today," the doctor said.

"Thank you very much, Neil," Cuddy replied in a friendly manner.

Chase stood next to Cuddy, feeling even more awkward as Cuddy didn't introduce him. Neil looked pointedly at Chase, waiting for Cuddy to say something.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Cuddy said quickly. "Dr. Chase, this is Dr. Neil Stern. He's Chief of Medicine at New York University Hospital."

Neil stuck out his hand. "Pleasure," Chase said as he shook it.

"That was a very unusual case," Neil commented to Chase.

"One of many," Chase replied.

"I know. You used to work for Greg House, right?" Neil asked him.

"That's right," Chase said. "But now, I'm Chief of Surgery at Princeton."

Neil took a business card out of the front pocket of his suit jacket and handed it to Chase.

"We've been playing with the idea of starting a Department of Diagnostics at NYU," Neil told him. "All we need is a Department Head."

Chase arched his eyebrow in interest.

Cuddy's eyes widened in shock.

"I can't think of anyone I'd rather have as Head of Diagnostics at my hospital than a former employee of House," Neil told him.

Chase took the business card from him as Cuddy remained completely stunned. -

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

After Dr. Neil Stern had walked away from them, Cuddy turned to Chase.

"Can you believe the nerve of him? He offered you a job right in front of me!" Cuddy stated angrily.

Chase nodded, his gaze remaining fixated on the business card Stern had just given him.

"…You're not actually thinking about taking that job, are you?" Cuddy asked him in complete surprise.

Chase shrugged. "It's a good opportunity," he admitted.

"Chase, you can't take a job in another hospital! You're my Chief Surgeon!" Cuddy exclaimed.

"I'm not your ANYTHING," Chase shot back, his eyes blazing as he turned sharply towards her.

"You made that quite clear this morning," Chase added, his blue- green eyes intense with emotion.

"Oh god…" Cuddy muttered in exasperation.

"What? I'm not allowed to have any feelings on what happened between us last night?" Chase demanded.

"I didn't say that. But we both said it was a mistake," Cuddy reminded him patiently.

"YOU said it was a mistake," Chase pointed out.

"And you AGREED," Cuddy shot back.

"I was lying," Chase admitted.

Cuddy turned away from him, but Chase grabbed her arm, pulling her slightly closer to him.

"Are you telling me you faked your two orgasms last night?" Chase demanded.

Cuddy inched closer to him, hoping that no one had heard what he had just asked her.

"I didn't fake ANYTHING," Cuddy told him sincerely.

"Then why are you so willing to dismiss me?" Chase asked her.

"I'm not dismissing you," Cuddy assured him.

Chase's face remained solemn and intent on hers.

"Chase, what do you want from me?" Cuddy asked him.

"What I DON'T want is for you to tell me that the incredible mind- blowing sex we had last night was a mistake and then come out of the shower wearing only a towel that barely covers you!" Chase said, the emotion rising up in his throat.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lead you on—" she began.

"Are you honestly telling me that last night meant NOTHING to you?" Chase asked her, looking deeply into her eyes.

Cuddy was about to answer him, but for some reason, her eyes darted to a corner of the room only a few feet away from where her and Chase were standing.

Her breath caught in her throat and her entire body froze when she saw House leaning up against the wall.

"Oh my god…" Cuddy whispered.

"What?" Chase asked, turning in the direction she was looking.

And then Chase saw House.

And then he realized that House had heard everything that he and Cuddy had said to each other.

House continued to stare at them.

His facial expression remained stoic.

And then he turned around and limped away.

TBC…


	15. Chapter 14

**HI EVERYONE!  
**

**I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW HAPPY ALL YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS HAVE MADE ME!**

**I WILL REPLY TO ALL OF THEM ONCE I POST THIS CHAPTER.**

**SO.....HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER! **

**PLEASE READ, COMMENT AND ENJOY!!  
**

** *************************************************************** **

**CHAPTER 14: Please read and comment.**

"House, wait!" Cuddy called out after him, turning away from Chase.

House kept limping away from her, breezing past a throng of people in the conference ballroom, including Wilson, who was talking on his cell phone.

"Let's go," House said curtly to Wilson as he passed by him.

Wilson closed his phone and began to go after House.

"What happened?" Wilson demanded.

"I screwed up. Let's go," House stated flatly.

"House!" Cuddy called out after him once more as she left Chase standing by himself in the middle of the room.

Wilson looked at Cuddy and then back at House. Not understanding what was going on, he continued to follow House out of the conference room.

Cuddy at first walked a few steps as quickly as she could in House and Wilson's direction.

But when it became clear to her that they had no intention of stopping, she stopped walking as well, and just watched both men leave the ballroom.

"He wouldn't even turn around," Cuddy said aloud in a sad voice to no one in particular.

"Would you?" Chase asked.

Cuddy spun around and saw that Chase had been standing behind her the entire time. His blue- green eyes were full of hurt.

Without saying another word, Chase turned around slowly and began to walk away from her.

"Where are you going?" Cuddy asked him, her voice as sad as before.

Chase turned around once more to face her.

"What do you care?" he asked plainly.

He then turned around again and left the ballroom, leaving Cuddy alone.

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------

 A while later, after making her way through the conference ballroom and schmoozing with the various conference attendees about the success of her and Chase's presentation, Cuddy returned to their hotel room.

She stood in the middle of the room in surprise as she watched Chase pack his suitcase in an angry fashion.

"…You're leaving?" Cuddy asked him, barely above a whisper.

"I went to the front desk. There was a cancellation for a room. You can stay here," Chase said curtly as he zipped up his suitcase.

"But, this is YOUR room…" Cuddy began. "I should be the one to leave."

Chase didn't answer her. He picked his suitcase up off the bed forcefully and strode past her, refusing to look in her direction.

"Chase, please—" Cuddy said before he could get to the door. Chase turned sharply to face her.

"WHAT?" Chase demanded a bit more forcefully than he had intended.

Cuddy flinched slightly at Chase's harsh response.

"Can't we talk about this?" Cuddy asked him.

"What could you possibly have to say to me?" Chase demanded.

Cuddy was at a complete loss for words.

He had asked her in the ballroom that morning if last night had meant anything to her, but she hadn't been able to answer him.

Because she wasn't sure of the answer herself.

Chase exhaled deeply, slumping his shoulders slightly.

"I saw your face when you spotted House in the ballroom," Chase told her, his expression finally softening.

"… and I saw how devastated you looked when he walked away from you," Chase added.

"I wasn't devastated," Cuddy declared defensively.

"I'm not an idiot. I know that people can't help who they fall in love with," Chase said.

"I'm NOT in love with him," Cuddy said vehemently.

"Fine. You keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day you'll believe it. I really don't care," Chase said.

"Chase, do you really want us to be together?" Cuddy demanded.

At this, Chase was the one who was stunned into silence.

He had never expected her to say that.

"You want to end your relationship with Cameron so you can start one with me? You want us to go on dates? Hold hands as we walk down the hallways of the hospital together? Make out in the Clinic?" Cuddy continued.

Chase shook his head slightly, his lips parting, as if he was about to say something.

But then he closed his lips again and looked down at the floor.

"All I know is that when we made love last night, I was happy," Chase said forlornly.

"Because I thought that you actually WANTED me," he added softly.

Cuddy felt as if a haze had been lifted from her mind and her heart ache at the same time.

Because at that moment, she realized that she had cast him aside in the exact same manner that Cameron had.

"She never offered you a drawer," Cuddy said, as if in epiphany.

"And she's going to back to him without so much as a backwards glance," Chase added, still unable to look up.

Cuddy tentatively reached up to touch Chase's chin to make him look at her.

But Chase immediately turned away, opened the door and left the room with his suitcase. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Almost two hours later, Chase had found himself in O'Sullivan's Pub. Being an off- peak time, the place wasn't that crowded.

He looked around for Sophie, but she wasn't there.

He went up to the bar, where a petite red- headed waitress was going through a stack of purchase orders.

"Is Sophie here today?" Chase asked the waitress in a friendly manner.

"Sophie doesn't work here anymore," the redhead replied, not looking up from her paperwork.

Chase furrowed his brow. "…Why not?" he asked in surprise.

The redhead sighed in annoyance and looked up at Chase.

"Some guy came in last night and left without paying for his drinks. Sophie tried to cover the bill with her own money, but…" the waitress explained, trailing off.

Chase's eyes widened in shock.

"She got FIRED?" Chase exclaimed.

The redhead shrugged her shoulders and went back to her work.

Chase felt a tremendous amount of guilt wash over him, knowing that he was the guy who had left last night without paying.

"Is the owner here?" Chase asked.

"Yeah, he's in the back," the redhead told him, jutting her head back in the direction of a door that read, "Employees Only."

Chase nodded and headed towards the door.

Once he had reached the door, he debated in his mind if she should barge in, but then decided against it, reasoning that he could catch more flies with honey.

Chase knocked on the door twice.

"Come in," a male voice said from the other side of the door.

Chase turned the knob and entered the small office. Sitting at a desk was a man in his early fifties wearing a white stained polo shirt and jeans with a slightly receding hairline and a beer belly.

"Can I help you?" the man asked Chase, slightly put off that a patron had entered his office.

"I think there's been some mistake," Chase began cordially. "I was here last night, and Sophie waited on me."

The man continued to size up Chase, saying nothing. Chase took a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket and crossed the tiny office to the man.

"She… served me two glasses of Scotch. I left without paying, and I wanted to settle up," Chase continued.

The man looked at Chase and then the money that Chase was holding out to him.

"Thanks," the man said as he took the twenty dollar bill and placed it in the pocket of his jeans.

Chase wasn't sure of the price of two scotches, but he wasn't about to argue with this man if he had owed him change.

"So… you'll re- hire Sophie then?" Chase clarified.

"Nope," the man said flatly.

Chase was taken aback at the man's answer.

"But... I paid the bill. And it wasn't Sophie's fault that I ran out," Chase argued.

The man stood up from his desk with an emotionless look on his face.

"Sophie only works here when she's on break from school, and I need a full- time waitress who's going to make sure that her customers pay for their drinks and doesn't have her nose in a medical textbook every five minutes," the man seemed to say with the same flat tone in one breath .

Knowing that it would be futile to convince the man to change his mind, Chase merely turned on his heel and left the office. He closed the door behind him and went back to the bar. The redheaded waitress was still there, going over another purchase order.

"Do you have any idea where I can find Sophie?" Chase asked her.

The redhead looked up and saw the look of regret in his eyes. Her own expression softened.

"Knowing her, she's probably studying at the Boston University Medical Library," the redhead replied.

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Around twenty minutes later, Chase entered the Boston University Medical Library's main study hall.

The room was ominous, the walls lined with bookshelves of medical texts and periodicals. The middle of the room was filled with what seemed like hundreds of tables, almost each one occupied by students concentrating.

Having no idea where to start look for Sophie, Chase began to wander the room.

And then he saw her.

Sophie was at one of the tables furthest from him.

He couldn't help but smile upon seeing her. He could see that her long wavy hair was down and cascading over her right shoulder as she turned the page in the book she was reading.

As he got closer to her, he could make out the delicate and lovely features of her face. She was wearing a lavender v- neck t shirt with a soft cotton partially zipped up dark grey hooded sweatshirt over it.

She was so focused on her studying that she didn't even look up when he sat down across from her at her table. Chase grinned at how immersed she was in her studies.

"Some Say Marry Money But My Brother Says Big Breasts Matter Most," Chase suddenly said.

Sophie looked up, visibly startled. But her face immediately relaxed into a smile when she saw that Chase was sitting across from her.

"That's a mnemonic for remembering if the twelve Cranial nerves are innvervated by a sensory or a motor pathway," Sophie told him, still smiling as she took off her rectangular glasses.

"Very good," Chase said, returning her smile.

"Yeah, I knew that one," Sophie said playfully.

"I heard you got fired at O'Sullivans," Chase said, his smile fading slightly as he gazed at her.

"How'd you hear that?" Sophia asked.

"I went there to pay for the bill that I skipped out on last night," Chase told her.

Sophie smiled a melancholy smile at him.

"I'm so sorry I caused you to lose your job," Chase apologized sincerely.

"Don't worry about it," Sophie said with a shrug. "I needed more time to study, anyway."

Chase nodded, but knew that she was most likely trying to make him feel better about the whole thing.

"Your former boss is a real jerk," Chase said.

"Why do you say that?" Sophie asked him.

"Well… even after I gave him the money for the drinks and tried to convince him to hire you back, he wouldn't hear of it," Chase explained.

Sophie's lips parted slightly as she stared at him in amazement.

"You tried to convince him to hire me back?" she asked him, incredulously.

"You got fired because of me. It was the least I could do—" Chase began.

"No it wasn't," Sophie interrupted, still amazed. Chase furrowed his brow slightly in confusion.

"The LEAST you could have done was to do NOTHING," Sophie stated.

"You don't even know me, but you went back there and stood up for me. You didn't have to do that," Sophie said.

Chase felt a warm, wonderful feeling embrace him at her words and at the soft glow in her eyes as she looked at him.

A part of him wanted to apologize for attempting to kiss her last night at the bar, but another part of him had no desire to tell her that he was so messed up that he wound up sleeping with his boss as a result.

Chase looked down at her highlighted and marked up open textbook and then back up at her once more.

"Feel like a study break?" Chase suddenly asked her.

Sophie arched her eyebrow. "Now?" she asked.

"It's a beautiful day. You really want to spend it in here?" he asked her, a sparkle forming in his blue- green eyes.

Sophie felt her heartbeat quicken at how he was looking at her.

"Where to?" she asked him.

"How 'bout Quincy Market? We could grab a bite," Chase suggested.

"You buying?" Sophie asked.

Chase nodded, the smile never leaving his face.

Sophie closed the textbook, shoved it into her backpack and walked out of the library with Chase, unable to stop the corners of her mouth from turning upwards.

Chase took her backpack from her, slung it over his shoulder and led her out of the library into the waiting bright sunlight.

TBC…


	16. Chapter 15

**OK EVERYONE! HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG. I'VE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE SITE.**

**PLEASE READ, COMMENT AND ENJOY!! :-) **

*********************************************************************** **

**CHAPTER 15: Please read and comment.**

A while later, Chase and Sophie were sitting in a booth at Cheers Pub on Beacon Street, a few miles away from Boston University campus.

Chase grinned as he spotted a bit of pesto sauce just under Sophie's bottom lip as she ate the chicken panini she had ordered. He took his paper napkin and reached across the table to her.

"You should know that I like a girl who's not afraid to make a mess," Chase said as he gently wiped the bit of pesto sauce off her lip with his napkin.

Sophie smiled with closed lips as she picked up her own napkin to wipe the rest of her mouth.

"Then you're gonna love me," Sophie quipped.

Chase chuckled, finished chewing and swallowing the bite of his turkey club, put it back down on his plate and wiped his own mouth.

"Ok, here's the game. We take turns asking each other questions. Each question requires the other person to choose between two things. The other person has to choose between which one of the two things they like best as quickly as they can," Chase said with a sparkle in his eyes.

Sophie's face lit up with intrigue. "Example?" she asked him coyly.

"Chocolate or vanilla?" Chase asked her.

"Chocolate," Sophie replied quickly with an eyeroll and a smile.

"You go first," Chase told her, his entire face smiling.

"Ok…boxers or briefs?" Sophie asked him.

Chase laughed. "Boxers," he replied with a sheepish grin. "Roses or 'other?'" Chase asked her.

"Other. Blonds or brunettes?" Sophie said.

"BRUNETTES," Chase declared emphatically. "Same question," he added.

Sophie grinned as she admired his tousled locks.

"Blonds," she replied. "Product or no product?"

"You mean in my hair?" Chase asked, slightly surprised. Sophie nodded, unable to keep the grin off her face, thoroughly enjoying their game. Chase grinned back.

"Depends on the day," Chase replied. "Skiing or snowboarding?"

"Snowboarding," Sophie replied. "XBox or PlayStation?"

"XBox. No question. Chick flicks or Horror flicks?" Chase asked.

"OLD Horror flicks," Sophie clarified. "Hugs or kisses?"

Chase paused momentarily as he gazed into her deep, brown eyes.

"Kisses," he replied softly.

"Me too," Sophie replied, matching his soft tone.

They gazed at each other for a moment before Sophie broke the silence between them.

"It's your turn," Sophie reminded him.

"Nah, forget it," Chase said, waving his hand dismissively.

"What?" Sophie asked.

"No, I thought of a question, but I don't think I should ask it," Chase explained.

"Well now you HAVE to ask it after a build- up like that," Sophie teased him.

Chase tsked, looked down at the table top and then back into her eyes.

"Cotton or silk?" Chase asked, slightly embarrassed.

"…You mean… as in my PANTIES?" Sophie asked with surprise.

"Hey you asked me 'boxers or briefs.' It's only fair," Chase told her, unable to keep the corners of his lips from turning upwards.

Sophie's jaw dropped. "It's an entirely different question," she said, fighting a grin.

Chase flashed her a dazzling smile and folded his arms across his chest, arching his eyebrow waiting for her answer.

Sophie looked down slightly at the table top as she felt a tiny blush form on her cheeks. She peeked at him through her long lashes.

"Cotton," she answered. 

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By the afternoon, House and Wilson had returned to work after taking a shuttle flight back to New Jersey. House was sitting in the comfortable chair in his office, his feet up on the ottoman in front of it when Wilson walked through the glass doors.

"Got a case for you," Wilson said, holding up a dark red file folder.

"Maybe I should sleep with Cameron," House commented casually as if he suggested that maybe he should change the toothpaste he used, not looking at Wilson.

Wilson's eyes widened as he blinked twice. He shook his head almost imperceptibly as House's remark sunk in.

"Cuddy slept with Chase. And it's not like she'd reject me," House pointed out with a shrug.

"So… by sleeping with Cameron, there would be equilibrium in the universe once again?" Wilson clarified.

"Exactly," House replied.

Wilson chuckled curtly. "I would LOVE to do a CT scan on your head one day," he stated.

"An MRI is much more reliable," House snarked.

"JUST TALK TO CUDDY!" Wilson exclaimed.

House snorted, closed his eyes and lolled his head back onto his chair.

"You told me that you overheard Cuddy tell Chase that sleeping with him was a mistake!" Wilson pointed out.

"That doesn't mean that Cuddy doesn't have feelings for him," House countered.

"Maybe it DOES!" Wilson argued.

House stared at Wilson, hoping that he was going to like Wilson's explanation.

"Maybe she slept with Chase because she was lonely. Maybe they were DRUNK. Maybe she was thinking about YOU the entire time she was with him," Wilson offered, gesticulating his hands as he spoke.

House pursed his bottom lip. "I like choice 'C'" he admitted.

"But you'll never KNOW if it's choice 'C' unless you TALK TO HER," Wilson said, as if he was explaining this to a child.

House exhaled and avoided his friend's gaze. Wilson took out his cell phone and handed it out to House.

"Give her a call," Wilson told him.

House stared at Wilson's cell phone momentarily, his chest filling with a multitude of emotions.

"Gimme the file," House mumbled resigningly, motioning with his fingers. 

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Later in the afternoon, Chase and Sophie wound up at the Granary cemetery in Boston, a popular tourist attraction where the bodies of revolutionary patriots such as John Hancock and Paul Revere were buried.

"I can't believe you live in Boston and you've never been here," Chase remarked.

"It's been on my to- do list. Just never got around to it until now," Sophie told him.

"So is your former boss right about you having your nose in a medical textbook every five minutes?" Chase asked her as they strolled through the headstones.

"Pretty much," Sophie replied.

"So no time for fun?" Chase asked.

"I go out with friends on the weekends. Sometimes my older brother comes to visit me," Sophie said.

"So it's just you and your older brother? No other siblings?" Chase asked.

Sophie paused momentarily before answering.

"… I have another brother but… I haven't seen him in years," she replied with a shrug.

Chase nodded, sensing that she didn't want to elaborate on that statement.

"How about you? Are you close with your family?" Sophie asked him.

Chase smiled softly. "I… don't have a family," he replied.

Sophie looked at him quizzically.

"My mum died when I was just finishing high school and my dad died a few years ago," Chase explained.

"…I'm sorry," Sophie said, feeling horrible about the fact that she had suggested that she had been the one to suggest that they see the cemetery.

"It's ok," Chase replied, the smile still on his face as he bent down to examine the name that had been weathered over time on one of the headstones.

"… You don't have any other family in Australia?" Sophie asked him tentatively.

"Extended, but I never see them. I haven't been back to Australia in a long time," Chase said, standing upright once again.

"So then where's home?" Sophie asked him as they continued to walk through the small cemetery.

"Princeton, New Jersey," Chase replied.

"Are you in a private practice or a hospital?" Sophie asked him.

"A hospital. Princeton Plainsboro," Chase told her.

Sophie stopped in her tracks and stared at him in shock.

"…Really?" Sophie asked him.

Chase turned to her, intrigued by the obvious surprise in her voice.

"Yeah, how come?" Chase asked.

"… I've… just heard it's a very interesting place to work," Sophie said vaguely, shrugging her shoulder slightly.

Chase chuckled. "It sure is," he admitted. 

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While Chase and Sophie were having lunch, Cuddy was at Victoria's Secret again.

She tried to call House's cell phone several times, but he wouldn't answer.

Cuddy browsed through a section of pink cotton t- shirts that matched the pink plaid pajama pants she had picked.

"This'll be better than the nightie or the shorties," Cuddy mused. "This way, Chase won't be so uncomfortable."

Then she suddenly remembered that Chase wouldn't be staying with her tonight.

And she was surprised to find that this made her sad. 

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Later that evening, Chase and Sophie walked down the hallway of her apartment building to her door. They had spent the entire day together.

Chase couldn't remember the last time he had smiled and laughed so much.

"Thanks for a wonderful day," Sophie said once they reached her front door.

"Thank you. I had a great time," Chase told her.

"Do you want to come in for a drink or something?" Sophie asked him.

"Yes," Chase said.

Sophie smiled and began to put her key in the lock.

"Which is why I can't," Chase added.

Sophie stopped what she was doing and turned around to face Chase. Chase traced her entire face with his eyes and slowly took her hands in his.

"Sophie, you're a wonderful and beautiful young lady…" Chase began.

"And… if I had met you a few years ago… maybe I wouldn't be in the mess that I'm in right now in my life," he added sadly.

Sophie felt an ache in her heart as he spoke to her.

"You don't deserve to be the other woman," Chase told her.

"…Robert, I wasn't expecting anything," Sophie explained. Chase looked at her with confusion.

"I just thought you might like a beer," she said with a slight shrug.

Chase stared at her blankly for a moment and then realized that he had interpreted the situation completely incorrectly.

"Oh god, I'm such an idiot," Chase said, turning away from her, raking his hand through his hair in embarrassment.

"No you're not," Sophie told him, placing her hand on his shoulder to make him turn around to face her once more.

"...I think you're wonderful, too," she said sincerely.

"But I should never have given you my phone number," she added quickly. "I made a FOOL out of myself—" she began.

"No you didn't. I was very flattered," Chase told her.

"Oh come on. Girls must give you their numbers all the time," Sophie argued.

Chase smiled impishly. "Actually, they don't," he admitted.

Chase then took out his cell phone from his pocket and showed her the numbers that he had stored in his phone. Most of them were designated as work numbers.

She smiled when she recognized her own cell number with the name "SOPHIE" next to it.

"You put my number in your phone?" Sophie asked him with a shy grin.

"I didn't know your last name so—" Chase began.

"Wilson," Sophie replied.

Chase nodded and typed in her last name into his phone. He then put it back in his pocket at gazed at her again.

"Tonight's my last night here… and I'd love for us to keep in touch," Chase said softly.

"So would I," Sophie replied.

Chase then reached into the pocket of her hooded sweatshirt and pulled out Sophie's phone. Sophie willed herself to relax as he did so. He then programmed his own cell number into her phone.

She traced his entire face with her eyes, admiring the sexy way the blond locks framed his forehead as he titled his head down.

"Feel free to call me anytime," Chase said, handing her back her phone.

"The same goes for you," Sophie told him.

"Well, I guess this is good- night," Chase said, staring deeply into her soft brown eyes.

Sophie nodded. "Have a safe trip home," she said.

Chase inhaled slightly and decided that at that point, he would regret it for the rest of his life if he didn't act on what he felt in his heart.

He then cupped her face, leaned forward and brushed her lips softly with his own. Sophie felt an incredible tingle move through her as his delicate and tender kiss enveloped her, his gentle, full lips searchingly exploring hers. She reached up to caress the scruff on his cheek as they kissed.

She felt herself lean closer to him as he reluctantly pulled back to end their kiss, not wanting it to be over.

"Good- night, Sophie," Chase murmured close to her lips.

"'night, Robert," Sophie whispered.

Sophie watched Chase turn away and walk down her hallway. After he rounded the corner and was out of sight, Sophie sighed happily and entered her apartment.

She tossed her backpack on her couch and took her cell phone out of the pocket of her hoodie once again, opened it and pressed one of the numbers in her contacts. She waited a few seconds before the person on the other end answered.

"Hi. Are you busy?" Sophie asked the other person.

She smiled when she heard the person on the other end say that he was never to busy to talk to her and asked her what was up.

"…I think I met someone that you might know," Sophie said, unable to wipe the smile off her face. 

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That night, Chase heard a knock at his new hotel room door. He crawled out of his queen- sized bed and raked his hand through his hair, wondering who could possibly be knocking on his door at this time of the night.

His eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw Cuddy standing in the doorway, wearing a pink t- shirt and a pair of pink pajama pants and holding a box of Breathe Right Nasal Strips.

"You forgot these. I thought you might need them," Cuddy said, handing him the box.

"Thanks," Chase replied, taking the box of nasal strips from her. He then attempted to close the door and go back into his room when Cuddy placed her hand on his arm.

"Chase," she said, making him turn around to face her. Her soft grey- blue eyes were full of sincerity.

"It meant something," Cuddy declared.

Chase smiled softly and took her hand.

"Come on," Chase said, leading her inside to his room.

"Chase, I don't think we should—" Cuddy began.

"You didn't come here to give me the nose strips," Chase declared. "You came here because you didn't want to be alone."

Cuddy's eyes became incredibly sad, but she chuckled slightly in spite of what she was feeling.

"…He wouldn't even turn around," she said.

Chase nodded and brought her into the bed with him. They settled down next to each other. Chase put his arms around her while Cuddy rested her head comfortably on his chest.

"So when did you get the new pajamas?" Chase asked her as he stroked her hair.

"I went shopping again today," Cuddy said.

Cuddy felt her eyes begin to involuntarily close as Chase continued to gently run his fingers through her hair.

"Going back to work tomorrow should be interesting," Cuddy said saracastically.

"Let's just go to sleep and not worry about that now," Chase told her.

Cuddy nodded as she drifted off to sleep in Chase's arms.

TBC…


	17. Chapter 16

**OK, I HAVE NO IDEA WHY THIS HAPPENED, BUT I POSTED CHAPTER 15 AND IT DIDN'T GO BACK TO THE TOP OF THE SITE AFTER I POSTED.**

**SO I POSTED THAT CHAPTER AND THIS CHAPTER (CHAPTER 16) AT THE SAME TIME.**

**I HOPE THIS WORKS!!**

**IN THIS CHAPTER, CUDDY AND CHASE HAVE RETURNED TO PRINCETON. **

**IF YOU HAVEN'T READ CHAPTER 15, PLEASE GO BACK ONE CHAPTER FIRST!**

**PLEASE READ, COMMENT AND ENJOY!! **

************************************************************** 

**CHAPTER 16: Please read and comment.**

The next day at around 1 pm, Cameron was reading a new patient's chart in the ER when Chase approached her. He had decided to come right to work after flying in from Boston. He was wearing a new set of light yellow scrubs and a charcoal grey waffle t- shirt underneath.

"Hey," Chase said cordially to her.

Cameron looked up from the chart she was holding and smiled at him.

"Hey. How was your flight?" she asked him as she leaned over to give him a peck on the cheek.

"Good," he replied, accepting her kiss and barely grazing her cheek with his lips.

Cameron nodded and went back to reading and making notes the chart she was holding.

"I thought you'd be starting with House today," Chase commented off- handedly.

"He just finished a case and he doesn't have a new patient yet," Cameron told him, not looking up from her file.

Chase nodded, wondering why he didn't feel more guilty and awkward than he did at that very moment.

Based on what had happened between him and Cuddy at the conference that week, the guilt of cheating on Cameron should have been overwhelming him.

But for some reason, it wasn't.

"So once he gets a new case, I guess you'll be transferring out of the ER?" Chase asked her.

At this, Cameron looked up from the chart she was reading.

"…You're ok with me going back to him?" Cameron asked him, tentatively.

Before Chase could answer her, Cuddy strode towards both of them, her stiletto heels clicking against the linoleum.

"Chase, I need you," Cuddy said with desperation.

Chase and Cameron turned simultaneously towards Cuddy's direction. Chase's eyes widened tremendously at Cuddy's comment as his pulse rate suddenly increased.

"The Clinic is swamped with colds, coughs and sore throats. I need some extra hands," Cuddy explained.

Chase felt his heart beat begin to slow down. He breathed a tiny sigh of relief.

"No problem," Chase said, trying to maintain a calm tone in his voice as he began to walk away from Cameron.

"I can help," Cameron offered.

"You're already busy. I'll call you if I need you," Cuddy said in a professional manner to Cameron.

Cameron shrugged. "See ya later," she said to Chase.

Chase gave Cameron a half- smile and followed Cuddy out of the ER.

"That was kind of risky, don't you think?" Chase murmured to Cuddy as they walked down the hallway together.

"It wouldn't have been if your eyes almost didn't pop out of your head and your voice didn't crack. You must be a lousy poker player," Cuddy commented.

Chase snorted as they continued to walk down the hallway. Cuddy shot him a sidelong glance as they did so.

"You obviously didn't tell her what happened between us at the conference," Cuddy commented.

Chase looked at her as if she had three heads.

"I'm not an idiot," Chase declared.

"So you'd rather her find out from House or Wilson or whoever else they might have told already?" Cuddy asked him.

Chase felt his stomach turn. He knew that PPTH was a rumor mill, and he had no desire to be the subject of hospital gossip.

He also knew that if Cameron found out from House, that it would be very bad for him.

"Did House say anything to you yet?" Chase asked with trepidation.

"No, but you can bet he will," Cuddy replied. 

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House was leaning over the second floor balcony, wondering if he could hit the janitor below him with a spitball when Wilson breezed past him.

"Where are you going?" House asked, mildly interested.

"The Clinic. Cuddy needs some help down there," Wilson replied.

The tiniest smile appeared on House's face.

"I'll join you," House said, deciding that spitballs could wait. 

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A short while later, Chase came out of one of the rooms of the Clinic after examining a four year old with a runny nose.

He looked out at the very large crowd of sniffling and coughing patients waiting to see doctors impatiently in chairs in the clinic and knew that it was going to be a very long afternoon.

As he walked up to the charge nurse's desk and grabbed the next file that was waiting for him, he didn't notice that House was also headed for the desk.

Without paying too much attention, Chase began to walk away with the file until he felt a tug on it. He looked at the file and saw another person's hand on it.

When he looked up from the file, he saw that House was the person attached to the hand.

House was staring Chase down, his cerulean blue eyes blazing with quiet intensity.

"I shot this first," House said, jutting his chin towards the file.

Chase arched his eyebrow, having the distinct feeling that House wasn't talking about the file.

Chase took his hand off the chart.

"Fine. Take it," Chase said with a shrug.

House arched his eyebrow curiously.

"You're not gonna fight me for it?" he asked with suspicion.

"Do you WANT me to?" Chase asked him pointedly.

"Not really," House said with a shrug. "Just didn't realize you'd give up so easily," he added.

At that moment, Cuddy walked through the Clinic, signing off on various charts as she made her way through the room. House took his focus off Chase and followed Cuddy's every move with his eyes.

Chase smirked triumphantly as he saw how House gazed at Cuddy longingly.

"And I didn't realize that you'd be such WUSS," Chase remarked.

House turned around to look back at Chase. "And what does that mean?" he asked.

"It means that if you want the 'PATIENT' badly enough, then you shouldn't be afraid to take the case," Chase said.

House furrowed his brow. "You're not talking about the patient, are you?" he asked condescendingly.

"Like you were?" Chase asked sarcastically.

Just then, Cameron strode into the Clinic.

Chase felt his stomach rise up into his throat upon seeing her.

This time, it was House's turn to smirk.

"That terrified look on your face tells me that Cameron has no idea that you double- dipped your pen into the company ink this week," House snarked.

Chase took his eyes off Cameron and stared at House, visibly surprised at his comment.

"And yes, I did just deflect the focus off of me onto you," House added.

"This isn't really the time or place to have this conversation," Chase mumbled nervously, feeling whatever leverage he might have held over House slip away.

"Actually, I think it's the PERFECT time and place to have this conversation," House countered.

"What's going on here?" Cuddy demanded as she walked up to both House and Chase. "There's a waiting room full of patients who need a doctor's care."

"So is she a screamer, Chase?" House asked.

Chase felt as if his eyes were going to pop out on strings and a wicked flush creep up his neck and onto his face while Cuddy's expressioned darkened considerably. She leaned closer to House.

"DON'T DO THIS NOW," Cuddy said menacingly to House under her breath.

"I'm sure that you grunt like a marsupial in heat, but I've always imagined that Cuddy could be quite vocal in the sack," House said to Chase, maintaining his composure as he enjoyed how uncomfortable he was making him and Cuddy.

"House…" Cuddy warned him.

"You were on the bottom, right?" House asked Chase.

"Do you have a case for me. Dr. Cuddy?" Cameron said.

House, Chase and Cuddy turned simultaneously towards Cameron as she stood there in her pink scrubs with a friendly smile on her face.

Chase immediately looked away from her.

Cuddy swallowed.

House smiled ever so slightly, opening his mouth to say something.

But Cuddy grabbed the lapel of House's sport jacket and dragged him to her office before he could say anything. 

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Once Cuddy had brought back House to her office, she closed the door behind her.

"You son of a bitch!" Cuddy spat out.

House turned around to face her.

"Apparently, Chase loving makes you feisty. Guess he didn't ring your bell," House snarked.

"Trust me. He rang my bell. TWICE," Cuddy shot back smugly, placing one of her hands on her hip.

House inhaled deeply. He knew that he deserved that verbal jab, but he wasn't about to let that know that it had actually had stung.

"I'm sure Cameron would LOVE to know that," House said sarcastically.

"If you had any intention of telling Cameron, you would have told her by now," Cuddy countered, her eyes narrowing.

House looked away, hating the fact that she knew him so well.

"How could you bring that up in the Clinic in front of Chase?!" Cuddy demanded.

"How could you SLEEP with Chase?!" House demanded in return, looking back at her angrily.

"He's ten years younger than you! He's your employee AND he's involved with Cameron!" House exclaimed.

"Suddenly you care about inter- office relationships and Cameron's feelings?" Cuddy asked him in complete disbelief.

"The last thing I need is for Cameron to come back to work for me all heartbroken because her boyfriend shacked up with his boss while they were sharing a hotel room," House stated.

"Chase and I wouldn't have shared a hotel room if YOU didn't cancel my reservation!" Cuddy argued.

House was becoming irritated. Cuddy was matching him shot for shot. He knew that he had screwed up and that she was right.

But his ego just wouldn't let him admit that.

"So how did it happen? Did he woo you with his Aussie charm or you just couldn't resist his adorable hair?" House continued.

At this, Cuddy looked away in embarrassment. She walked over to her desk and slumped down into her chair, placing her head in her hand.

"We were drunk. It just happened," Cuddy muttered.

Upon hearing this, House felt himself unclench as the tiniest smile plays on his lips.

"I saw that," Cuddy declared.

"What?" House her innocently.

"That smile," Cuddy said, her face morphing into an expression of epiphany.  You're RELIEVED!" Cuddy stated.

House grimaced dismissively and looked away from her. Cuddy got up out of her chair, walked around her desk and faced House head on.

"You thought I was going to say that I'm in love with Chase," Cuddy began, as if she was putting together pieces of a puzzle.

"…And if I DID, you would have been DEVASTATED… BECAUSE YOU LIKE ME!" Cuddy continued.

House shrugged. "I like PARTS of you," he quipped.

Cuddy grinned.

"You LIKE me House," Cuddy stated confidently.

And then the grin disappeared off her face.

"And if you were a REAL man, you'd ADMIT it," Cuddy stated.

House met her eyes once again.

"You'd do what a NORMAL man would do. You'd send me flowers, you'd ask me out on a date—" Cuddy began.

"You don't want any of that," House interrupted her.

Cuddy was taken aback at House's comment as House leaned forward slightly towards her.

"You LIKE this game we play with each other. It EXCITES you. And it's not just the power- play. It's the fact that I CHALLENGE you. And you like a challenge," House declared.

House was inches away from Cuddy's face as he penetrated her soft grey- blue eyes with his stare.

Cuddy could feel her breath begin to become shallow at his closeness and at the scent of the soap he had used that morning.

"Go back to the Clinic, House," Cuddy said, barely above a whisper.

House allowed her perfume to permeate his nostrils before he turned around and walked out of her office.

TBC…


	18. Chapter 17

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**AS ALWAYS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!!**

**THANKS FOR YOUR GREAT COMMENTS!**

*********************************************************************** **

**CHAPTER 17: Please read and comment.**

For the rest of the day, Chase managed to busy himself with the endless colds, coughs and sore throats in the Clinic.

Cameron had been summoned back to the ER shortly after walking in on a very awkward and heated conversation between Chase, House and Cuddy.

But by some miracle, Cameron hadn't head a word of it.

At around 5 pm, Chase tossed his last folder on the "seen patients" file on the charge nurse's desk at the Clinic and breathed a long stream of air out of puffed cheeks. He placed his hands on the desk and leaned over to stretch his back.

"Long day?" he heard a voice say.

Chase looked up and saw Cuddy walking towards him. He smiled slightly.

"You weren't kidding when you said you needed extra hands down here," Chase commented wearily as he stood up straight.

Cuddy grinned. "Thanks for helping out," she told him.

"I'm always here if you need me," he said with a shrug.

Cuddy's grin turned into a soft smile. She stepped closer to him, closing the distance between them.

"Can I quote you on that?" she asked, looking up at him.

"What happened?" Chase asked with concern as he looked thoughtfully into her eyes.

He knew that House and Cuddy had exchanged some words in her office after House had embarrassed them in the Clinic that day, and he was dying to know what they had said to each other.

And Cuddy wanted to tell Chase all about their conversation very badly.

But before she could, Cameron walked into the Clinic and headed right over to Chase. Cuddy took a few steps away from Chase as Cameron got closer to him.

"Hey," Cameron said to him.

Chase gave Cameron a smile and a peck on the lips in order not to arouse suspicion as to why he had been standing so close to Cuddy when Cameron had entered the Clinic.

"So how was the rest of your day?" Cameron asked him.

"Ok. The Clinic was a mad- house," Chase told her, exchanging a glance at Cuddy. Cuddy nodded, agreeing with him.

"I know. I'm sorry I couldn't stay. The ER was swamped, too," Cameron said. "You hungry? We could get Thai or Chinese take- out tonight at your place if you want."

Cuddy sensed that this was her cue to excuse herself.

"Enjoy your weekend," Cuddy said to them before walking away.

Chase kept his eyes on Cameron while he watched Cuddy walk away out of the corner of his eye, hoping that House hadn't upset her too much.

"Chinese sounds good," Chase told Cameron.

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That evening, a little before 7 pm, Chase was relaxing on his couch in his apartment, wearing a pair of worn in jeans and a soft grey long- sleeved t- shirt while he was talking to Cuddy on his cell phone.

He was expecting Cameron to come over with dinner in a few minutes.

"So what happened? What did he say to you?" Chase asked Cuddy over the phone.

"He wanted to know if I was in love with you," she told him.

Chase paused, absorbing what she had just told him.

"...And what did you tell him?" Chase asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

This time, it was Cuddy's turn to pause. She steeled herself for Chase's reaction to what she was about to tell him.

"That I'm not," Cuddy replied sincerely.

Chase actually found himself smiling.

"So what did he say?" Chase asked her.

Cuddy could hear Chase's smile over the phone and breathed a sigh of relief.

"He was happy," Cuddy told him.

"And… are you happy that he's happy?" Chase asked her.

"I don't know," Cuddy admitted. Chase chuckled in response.

"How could I possibly have a relationship with him? He's an abrasive, obnoxious immature jerk!" Cuddy added adamantly.

"But you love him anyway," Chase pointed out.

Cuddy exhaled deeply. "Why couldn't I have fallen in love with a sweet and sensitive man?" she asked him in exasperation.

"Well, there's so few of us…" Chase replied with false modesty and a grin.

Cuddy laughed. "You're right. There are," she admitted.

"I meant what I said. I'm always here if you need me," Chase told her.

"I know," Cuddy replied softly.

They enjoyed a shared comfortable silence over the phone together.

"So… do you think that we can be friends?" Chase asked her tentatively.

"You mean despite the fact that we had INCREDIBLY hot sex and there's usually a period of awkwardness after that happens?" Cuddy asked him.

Chase laughed. "Yeah," he replied.

"I think so," Cuddy said with a grin.

Just then, Chase heard a knock at his door. He got up from his couch and began walking towards the foyer in his apartment.

"I've gotta go. Cameron's here," Chase said.

"Good luck," Cuddy said, hearing the nervousness in his voice.

"Thanks," Chase replied before hanging up. 

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That evening, Chase and Cameron ate Chinese take- out together in Chase's living room in front of the TV.

While they ate, they watched "The Blob," a classic campy horror flick.

"SOPHIE MUST LOVE THIS MOVIE," Chase thought to himself as a smile played on his lips, remembering the little question and answer game they had played yesterday at Cheers Pub in Boston.

"This movie is awful," Cameron commented. "Why are we watching this?"

"It's a classic," Chase told her.

"Whatever," Cameron said with a shrug as she continued to eat.

Chase shot her a sidelong glance as he reached for one of the fortune cookies that were on the coffee table. He ripped open the plastic, broke the cookie in half and read the fortune to himself as he always did:

"THERE IS YET TIME FOR YOU TO TAKE A DIFFERENT PATH."

"So are we gonna talk about this?" Cameron asked him.

Chase looked up from the fortune he was reading as his breath caught in his throat, praying that House hadn't told Cameron about him and Cuddy.

"About what?" Chase managed to say calmly as he stuffed the fortune into the pocket of his jeans.

"Me going back to House's team. I wanna know how you feel about it," Cameron asked him.

Chase leaned back on the couch, bent his leg and rested his knee on the couch cushion so he could face her.

"If you wanna work for him again, then do it," Chase said matter- of- factly, placing his arm on the top of the couch.

Cameron raised her eyebrow in disbelief.

"You're an adult. You're perfectly capable of making your own decisions without my help," Chase added.

"A few days ago, you said I'd be taking a step BACKWARDS if I went back to him. Now all of a sudden, you have no opinion?" Cameron asked pointedly.

Chase ran his fingers through his hair in a nervous fashion. Cameron could sense that he was hiding something.

"What changed?" Cameron asked him.

Chase knew that it was time to come clean. He took a deep breath in, let it out and stared right into her eyes.

"I slept with Cuddy," Chase said flatly.

Cameron's blinked twice, not quite sure that she had heard Chase correctly.

"We were both drunk… and… it just happened," Chase continued.

Cameron widened her eyes ever so slightly.

"I figured it would be better for you to hear it from me than from House or through hospital gossip," Chase muttered.

"Gee, you're a real sweetheart," Cameron finally said, her voice laden with sarcasm.

Chase looked down at his lap with an ashamed look on his face.

But he was actually amazed at how good it felt to tell Cameron the truth.

"How could you jeopardize everything we have for a one- night stand with Cuddy?" Cameron demanded.

At this, Chase looked up from his lap and back at her, feeling a sudden moment of clarity.

"What do we have?" Chase demanded back.

Cameron was taken aback at his question.

"What are you talking about? We've been together for a year and a half!" Cameron told him.

"If 'together' means that we've been having sex at each other's places for a year and a half without our relationship moving forward, then I agree with you," Chase told her.

Cameron placed her tongue flat against the inside of her cheek and looked away from him in disgust. Chase placed his hand on her knee to make her look at him.

Cameron looked at his hand as if she wanted to stick a knife through it.

"Look, I know that I screwed up…" Chase began.

"But since we've been together, I've been letting you set the pace in this relationship," Chase continued.

Cameron looked away from his hand and into his eyes.

"I've been waiting for you to let me into your life in a meaningful way, but you haven't," Chase told her.

"If you wanted us to get more serious, then you should have TOLD me," Cameron said to him.

"The last time I told you that, you broke up with me," Chase reminded her.

"That was years ago!" Cameron argued. "And back then, we were only having uncomplicated sex! We weren't in a real relationship."

"You call this a real relationship? It's more like we're having slumber parties or play- dates like we're children!" Chase argued back.

"So you figured CHEATING on me was the best way to get me to offer you a drawer?" Cameron snarked. "Not one of your best- laid plans."

"I didn't PLAN on it and I'm not proud of what I did," Chase told her emphatically.

Cameron nodded slowly.

"Then… I guess it's over," Cameron said plainly.

Chase watched Cameron incredulously as she got up from his couch and grabbed her purse and jacket from a nearby chair.

"Wait a minute. That's IT?" Chase demanded, getting up to follow her.

Cameron didn't answer him. She began to put on her jacket.

"You're not ANGRY with me?" Chase asked her.

Cameron still didn't answer him. Chase touched her shoulder to make her turn to face him.

"I just told you that I CHEATED on you. I betrayed your trust. You should be slapping me in the face—throwing things at me—" Chase began.

"What good would that do?" Cameron asked him in slight disgust.

"It would show me that you're ANGRY! That you had some kind of feeling—" Chase said.

But then he stopped himself in mid- sentence as the realization dawned on him.

"...You're NOT angry," Chase said softly.

The dejected, forlorn look in Cameron's green eyes confirmed that Chase's epiphany was correct.

"You've WANTED this to be over," Chase said.

Cameron looked down at the floor, nodding almost undetectably. A curt laugh escaped Chase's lips.

"You just didn't want to be the bad guy and be the one to end it," Chase stated as if he was coming out of a dream.

Cameron looked up at Chase with a weary look in her eyes.

"I guess I just thought that you'd get tired of trying so hard to make things work between us," Cameron said, her tone of voice matching her gaze.

Chase had no idea what to say to Cameron in response.

But he didn't have to say anything, because Cameron turned around and left his apartment without saying another word. --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Around ten minutes later, Sophie standing in front of her full- length mirror in her small one- bedroom apartment in Boston, applying a light layer of mascara to her eyes when her cell phone rang on her dresser.

She picked up the phone and smiled when the name "Chase" appeared on her caller ID. She put the mascara wand down on the dresser and answered the phone.

"Hey you," Sophie said in a friendly manner into the phone.

"I was just watching 'The Blob' and I thought of you," Chase said over the phone.

Sophie chuckled. "I'm not sure how to take that," she quipped.

"No, no I didn't mean it like that," Chase said quickly with embarrassment. "I just meant that I know you love old horror movies," he explained.

Sophie grinned. "Well then I'll definitely take it as a compliment," she told him, feeling flattered that he had remembered her preference for movies.

"Are you busy?" Chase asked her.

"Actually, I was just on my way out," Sophie told him regrettably.

Chase suddenly remembered that it was a Friday night.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be bothering you—" Chase began.

"You're not bothering me. I'm glad you called," Sophie said simply.

Chase smiled, enjoying how happy her simple words made him feel inside.

"What's going on?" Sophie asked him.

"… Are you sure you have time? I don't want to keep you if you've got a date or something," Chase told her.

"Hang on a minute. I'll call my friends from my land line and tell them that I'm going to be a little late," Sophie reassured him.

Chase waited patiently on the line for her, oddly relieved that she didn't have a date.

"Now what's going on?" Sophie asked him after coming back to her cell phone.

TBC… 


	19. Chapter 18

**OK, EVERYONE!**

**I AM SO SORRY THAT I HAVEN'T REPLIED BACK TO EVERYONE'S COMMENTS YET. RL HAS BEEN QUITE HECTIC!!**

**I WILL REPLY ASAP!**

**IN THE MEANTIME...**

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**CHAPTER 18: Please read and comment.**

For the next twenty minutes, Sophie remained silent as Chase told her everything over the phone.

He told her about his relationship with Cameron—how he had been attracted to her since they had started working together, how they had a one- night stand when she was high on crystal meth, how they started having uncomplicated sex, how he wanted more and she didn't, how he reminded her every week that it was Tuesday and that he liked her, how she had quit her job with his former boss in solidarity and decided to have a relationship with him.

And how for the last year and a half, they had been going nowhere fast.

And how he had cheated on Cameron two days ago and had slept with his boss.

And how Cameron wasn't even that angry about it because she had wanted it to be over anyway.

And all the while that Chase spilled his guts, Sophie didn't say a word.

She didn't give an opinion, she didn't sigh in disapproval.

In fact, she was so quiet that by the end of the story, Chase thought that she may have hung up on him.

"…You still there?" Chase asked her tentatively.

Sophie chuckled. "I'm here," she replied.

Chase let out a breath that he had been apparently holding in and relaxed his body as he was stretched out on his living room couch.

"You hate me, don't you?" Chase asked her flatly.

"…Why would you think that?" Sophie asked back.

"Because I cheated on my girlfriend with my boss on the same night that I got drunk at O' Sullivans and tried to kiss you. That doesn't exactly make me look like a stand up guy," Chase reminded her.

Sophie smiled sardonically on the other end of the line.

"No it doesn't…" Sophie admitted.

"…But you obviously feel guilty about what you did—" she began.

"That's the problem. I DON'T feel guilty," Chase interrupted her.

"It's more like… I feel guilty for NOT feeling guilty. Does that make any sense?" Chase asked her.

"Yeah, it does," Sophie replied.

"I actually feel more guilty telling you than Allison," Chase muttered.

"Why would you feel more guilty for telling me?" Sophie asked him in confusion.

"… I don't know," Chase admitted.

Sophie paused thoughtfully. "Do you want a relationship with your boss?" she asked him.

"No," Chase replied.

"Does she want a relationship with you?" Sophie asked him.

"She's in love with my former boss. And he's in love with her, but they play this cat- and- mouse game with each other instead of telling each other how they really feel," Chase explained.

"Like you said, you've heard it's an interesting place to work," Chase added.

Sophie nodded on the other end, staying quiet.

"I'll admit it, I've got a roving eye," Chase continued. "When a pretty girl walks down the hallway in the hospital, I'll turn my head and stare at her."

"Everyone does that," Sophie told him dismissively, remembering how he followed her with his eyes when they first met at O'Sullivans Pub.

"But this is the first time I've cheated on someone," Chase said.

"Rob, people don't cheat on their spouses or significant others just because someone better looking or sexier happens to walk by," Sophie told him.

"They cheat because they feel that something is missing in their relationship," Sophie continued.

Chase admitted to himself that he had to agree with her statement.

"You said it yourself. You've known her for five years. You've basically been pursuing her and you've tried to make it work. She wasn't even that angry about it because she wanted to end it," Sophie told him.

"It still doesn't excuse what I did," Chase argued.

"But it might explain why you did it," Sophie replied.

"Maybe I should have tried harder to work things out—" Chase began.

"Love shouldn't be THAT hard," Sophie stated.

Chase paused momentarily, taking in everything that Sophie had told him and how she seemed to have been speaking from experience in some way.

"How old are you?" Chase asked her.

"Twenty- four. Why?" Sophie asked back, confused at the randomness of the question.

"You sound much older," Chase told her.

"I'll take that as a compliment, too," Sophie said with a smile.

"That's how I meant it," Chase replied, smiling back on the other end.

They shared a silence for a minute before Chase spoke again.

"So how does a gorgeous girl like you not have a date on a Friday night?" Chase said in a charming manner.

On the other end of the line, Sophie pursed her lips together and didn't reply as the realization hit Chase like a truck.

"…You hate a DATE tonight, didn't you?!" Chase said incredulously.

Sophie exhaled on the other end. "… Kind of," she admitted sheepishly.

"Why did you tell me that you didn't?" Chase asked her, still surprised.

"It's no big deal. A friend of mine planned on introducing me to this guy in her O- Chem class—" Sophie began, trying to downplay the whole thing.

"Sophie… you blew off a date to stay on the phone with ME?" Chase asked her in shock.

"You needed me," Sophie replied.

Chase was completely overwhelmed with her simple answer.

He couldn't remember the last time that someone had done something for him because he needed them.

"My family has a tendency to be there for people when they need them the most," Sophie told him.

"And… sometimes even when they don't need them at all," she added.

"…This is gonna sound really corny… but…" Chase began.

"I feel connected to you," he told her.

Sophie smiled warmly on the other end, letting his words envelop her like a blanket.

"It's strange. I only met you this week… but I feel like I've known you for years," Chase told her.

"…I feel like that, too," Sophie told him.

"And… when I kissed you in front of your door on Thursday night… it's like nothing else mattered," Chase continued sincerely.

Sophie felt an intense tingle overwhelm her entire body, desperately fighting the conflicting feelings that were beginning to rise within her.

"…Did you feel like that, too?" Chase asked her with hesitation.

"… I…" Sophie began.

Before Sophie could answer him, Chase was startled by a very loud knock at his front door. He exhaled deeply to calm himself.

"Can you hang on? There's someone at my door," Chase told her.

"Sure," Sophie replied, somewhat grateful for the interruption.

Chase pushed himself off his couch, walked to his door and opened it.

He could feel his adrenaline rush through his body when he saw House standing in his doorway, leaning on his cane.

"Mind if I come in?" House asked him.

"…I'll call you back," Chase said into his cellphone. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Chase backed up to allow House to enter his home, watching House examine his apartment in shock.

House had never been to his place, and he was actually surprised that House knew where he lived.

"Cameron was right. Your place does look like a drunk rugby player decorated it," House told him.

"What are you doing here?" Chase asked him.

"Is that how you usually greet your guests? You don't offer them a drink or something?" House asked him.

Chase sighed in exasperation and went into his kitchen. House followed him and watched Chase open his fridge and grab a beer bottle for him.

"What are you doing here?" Chase repeated as he gave House the beer.

"You cheated on Cameron with Cuddy," House said, going over to Chase's silverware drawer to look for a bottle opener.

Chase tilted his head in suspicion as House found the bottle opener and took the cap off the bottle.

"You came here to play 'State the Obvious?'" Chase asked him.

"You've basically been a loyal puppy- dog to one woman for the last five years, and now all of a sudden you're not," House stated.

"That's an anomaly. Anomalies bug me," House added before taking a swig from his beer.

Chase knew that unless he told House what had happened that House would never leave him alone.

"I wanted more out of our relationship than she did. She wasn't willing to take it to the next level—" Chase began.

"Are you in love with Cuddy?" House blurted out.

Chase grimaced, completely stunned at House's question.

"No," Chase replied, the grimace still on his face.

"Is she in love with you?" House asked him.

"She's in love with YOU, you idiot!" Chase exclaimed.

House immediately looked away from Chase, suddenly becoming fascinated with his kitchen floor.

"And you're in love with HER, and you're just too scared to do anything about it," Chase added.

House knew that Chase was right. But he wasn't about to admit it out loud.

"…She… said she wants me to take her out on a date," House mumbled, still looking down.

"So what are you doing here? Take her out," Chase told him.

"I'm terrible on dates. Ask Cameron," House said.

Despite what he was feeling, Chase couldn't help but smirk. He reached into his fridge and grabbed a beer for himself.

"You know… Cameron never told me how your one date went with her," Chase said, leaning the back of his body against his kitchen counter.

"We had some very awkward casual conversation… then she demanded that I tell her how I really felt about her… and I told her that she doesn't love, she needs, and that she's only drawn to me because I'm damaged," House told him.

"Wow," Chase stated with obvious surprise.

"Yeah, I really know how to turn on the charm when I want to," House snarked.

"I'm impressed," Chase admitted.

"With what? That Cameron didn't euthanize herself after that?" House asked him in a deadpanned tone.

"That you didn't lead her on," Chase replied.

House looked at Chase quizzically.

"Back then, Cameron would have given herself to you, body and soul if you had given her the green light," Chase told him.

"Thanks for reminding me," House muttered.

"But you knew that if you had sex with her that night that you would have only been taking advantage of the situation and eventually wind up breaking her heart," Chase explained.

House met Chase's gaze, realizing that he was right once again.

"So even though you didn't let her down easy, you saved her a lot of grief in the long run," Chase said.

House nodded slowly.

"And Cuddy doesn't want to you to take her out on a date," Chase added.

"That's what I told her! Personally, I think we should get right to the sex—" House began.

"She doesn't want that either," Chase interrupted.

"So then what does she want, Sherlock?" House demanded.

Chase dropped his head forward and rubbed his head in aggravation, completely frustrated that he had to connect the dots for House.

"Did Cuddy tell you how we wound up sleeping together?" Chase asked him.

"She said that you were both drunk," House replied.

"That's only part of the story," Chase told him.

"Then what's the rest of it?" House asked him.

Chase looked down at the floor in embarrassment.

"I… bought her a box of Nasal Strips," Chase mumbled.

House leaned forward slightly, unsure that he had heard Chase correctly.

"I snore. Apparently, very loudly. And when we were sharing a room at the conference, my snoring kept her awake," Chase told him.

"And she felt that the way you looked with a piece of plastic taped to your nose was just too hot to resist?" House asked him.

"She felt that the gesture was thoughtful," Chase explained to him slowly and evenly as if he was talking to a child.

House looked down and smiled ever so slightly as Chase's explanation sunk in.

"We were flirting all week… and she was vulnerable because she had just had a fight with you over the phone…" Chase began.

"But I think that the fact that I was considerate had an effect on her," Chase continued.

"So what you're saying is that I have to change my entire personality for her," House said.

"I'm not saying that. She obviously loves you despite the fact that you're a jerk," Chase said.

"That's the second time you've insulted me," House pointed out.

"What are you gonna do? Fire me again?" Chase snarked.

House chuckled. "Good point," he admitted.

"You need to show her that you're willing to try to be a better man for her," Chase stated.

House placed his half- empty bottle of beer on Chase's kitchen counter.

"Thanks for the beer," House said.

Chase nodded and walked House to the front door. Before House left, he turned around to face Chase with a furrowed brow.

"I don't remember you being this insightful when you worked for me," House told him.

"That doesn't surprise me," Chase countered.

House smiled once more before leaving Chase's apartment.

Chase, feeling proud of himself, reached into the pocket of his jeans and got comfortable on the couch again. He quickly found Sophie's number on his list of contacts and pressed "SEND."

He listened to her phone ring four times before it went to her voicemail.

TBC…


	20. Chapter 19

**OK EVERYONE! **

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

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**CHAPTER 19: Please read and comment.**

It was Monday morning and Chase and Cuddy were in the Clinic by the charge nurses' station. Cuddy was wading through a seemingly endless supply of charts while Chase was idly watching her. He had a few minutes before he had to head to the OR and figured that if he stayed in the Clinic, he might avoid running into Cameron.

Cuddy noticed that he looked absolutely miserable.

"…I'm sorry about you and Cameron," Cuddy said gently.

"I'm not. It's been over between us for a long time," Chase said, shrugging his shoulder.

"Then why do you look so—" Cuddy began, stopping herself in mid sentence, realizing what had caused Chase to look so despondent.

"Sophie still hasn't called?" Cuddy asked him.

"No, and I've left her voice and text messages all weekend," Chase mumbled sadly.

Chase had called Cuddy last night and told her his and Sophie's entire conversation from Friday night.

And she could tell that despite the fact that he had just ended things with Cameron, he was completely in love with Sophie after only knowing her for a few days.

"I'm sure she's fine. You were only off the phone with her for a little while before you called her back," Cuddy reassured him.

Chase nodded absentmindedly, remembering that House had interrupted their conversation by showing up at his door on Friday night.

And he had come at the most inopportune moment.

"Maybe something's wrong with her phone," Cuddy suggested.

"Or maybe she's avoiding me," Chase said.

Chase knew he had taken a risk by telling Sophie that he felt so connected to her after only knowing her for a few days and that kissing her was unlike anything else he'd ever felt.

But based on how she lovingly caressed his cheek when her soft lips brushed gently against his, and how she moved closer to him, not wanting their kiss to end, he thought that she had felt the same way about him.

"Why would she avoid you? You said that you two made a real connection. What could have changed in ten minutes to make her not call you back?" Cuddy asked him.

"I don't know. But something did," Chase said.

Cuddy looked at Chase sympathetically. He was more than good- looking and at the same time such a sweet, sensitive and insightful man.

And she had to admit that their one night together in Boston had been incredible.

But for some reason, he just didn't seem to have any luck with women.

"Love is hard," Cuddy said.

"It shouldn't be," Chase told her, remembering that Sophie had told him that the other night.

Just then, Cuddy saw House enter the Clinic.

"I agree," Cuddy said in a resigned tone as she kept her gaze on House as he walked closer to them.

"Sorry. Don't mean to interrupt your pillow talk," House said.

"What do you want, House?" Cuddy said impatiently.

House glanced at Chase for a second. Chase raised his eyebrows ever so slightly. House then looked back at Cuddy.

"I just thought… you might need some… help down here," House mumbled.

Cuddy stared at House in complete shock, her eyebrows arching up to her forehead.

Then she smirked.

"No thanks. I'm wearing an underwire today," Cuddy said with a pasty smile, eliciting a smirk from Chase.

"I meant with the patients," House said.

Cuddy's jaw dropped.

"You came down here to see patients voluntarily without me dragging you kicking and screaming?" Cuddy asked incredulously.

"It's part of my contribution to the Cleavage and Big A$$ Endowment Fund. I left my checkbook in my other pants," House snarked almost immediately.

Chase shot House a glare. House's ever present smug immediately disappeared and was replaced by a somewhat more humble expression as he face Cuddy again.

"Everybody knows that Monday is the busiest day down here. With the recent epidemic of URIs lately, I figured you could use a hand or two," House said.

Cuddy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she looked back and forth between Chase and House, taking note of the non- verbal cues they seemed to be giving each other.

"Don't you have a case?" Cuddy asked him.

"My new and improved team is working on it," House told her.

"CAMERON MUST HAVE STARTED ON HOUSE'S TEAM TODAY," Chase thought to himself.

Cuddy continued to stare at House with suspicion for a moment, until she finally took one of the charts off the pile of patients waiting to be seen.

"Exam Room 1. Ten year old male with a runny nose and a cough," Cuddy said, handing him the chart.

House took the chart from her and headed to the Exam Room without saying another word.

Chase and Cuddy watched House go into the exam room and close the door behind him.

"All right. What's going on?" Cuddy demanded from Chase once House was inside the room.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Chase said innocently, trying to prevent the corners of his lips from turning upwards.

Cuddy scoffed in disbelief.

"He came down here on his own. He made a snarky comment, you shot him a look, and he EDITED himself. Now what's going on?" Cuddy asked.

Chase turned to Cuddy, unable to hold back the smile that was forming on his face.

"Maybe you should ask him," Chase said.

With that, Chase glanced at his watch and left Cuddy at the nurses' station and headed for the OR. 

----------------------------------------------------------------- 

At around the same time House was in the Clinic, Cameron, Foreman, 13 and Kutner were in House's conference room. Foreman was standing at the white board scrawling down symptoms with a marker on their latest patient.  "Thirty- two year old male presents with chronic fatigue, joint pain, abdominal pain and decreased sex drive. CBC show elevated iron levels," Foreman said.

"We should wait for House," Cameron said.

"Why? We're not capable of handling the differential without him?" Thirteen asked in irritation.

"He'll want to know the specifics of the case," Cameron replied.

"He knows the specifics. He dumped the files here before he left us to do all the work," Thirteen pointed out.

"Could be rheumatoid arthritis," Kutner suggested.

"Fibromyalgia or hemochromatosis is far more likely," Foreman said.

"Why would he dump the file and leave? That's not like him," Cameron wondered aloud.

"If you're so curious, then why don't you just go and look for him?" Thirteen said, losing her patience with Cameron.

Cameron exhaled deeply, trying to remain calm at Thirteen's obvious hostility towards her.

"In fact, what are you even DOING here?" Thirteen demanded.

"She resigned from the ER to work for House again," Foreman replied before Cameron could answer her.

Kutner's eyebrows shot up in curiosity.

"Why would you give up a department head position to come back here?" Kutner asked.

"I think we all know the answer to that," Thirteen muttered in disgust as she perused the patient's file.

Cameron's head turned sharply towards Thirteen as her face began to flush.

Foreman and Kutner exchanged glances as they felt the tension mount in the room, neither of them wanting to say anything.

"…Can we just continue with the differential?" Cameron asked Foreman and Kutner, turning her entire body away from Thirteen. 

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Around an hour later, Cuddy strode into the OR to find Chase scrubbing in at the sink, wearing blue surgical scrubs and a surgical cap.

"House has been in the Clinic for over an hour!" Cuddy exclaimed as she walked towards him.

Chase grinned as he continued to scrub.

"All he's done is examine runny noses, red throats and coughs. He hasn't complained once!" Cuddy stated incredulously.

"So you're complaining instead? You've been trying to get him to do Clinic hours for years!" Chase argued.

"He's not himself," Cuddy stated, almost concerned.

Chase shot her a sidelong glance before looking back at his soapy hands.

"Maybe he's sick," Cuddy thought aloud, the concern growing in her voice.

Chase snorted. "He's not sick," he said dismissively.

"Why not? Personality change can be a symptom of multiple illnesses—" Cuddy argued.

"He asked me for advice about you," Chase interrupted her.

Cuddy was completely caught off guard.

"… Excuse me?" Cuddy managed to say.

Chase rinsed off his hands and grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser.

"The reason why I had to get off the phone with Sophie on Friday night was because House came to my door asking me for advice about you," Chase told her.

Cuddy could feel the anger rising within her.

Chase and her had become close after a short period of time, and she never suspected that he would betray her by helping House try to nail her.

"So you told him that by doing Clinic hours he'd get me into bed?" Cuddy asked him in disgust.

Chase turned to Cuddy with an exasperated look on his face.

"I told him that he needs to be a better man for you if he wants to win your heart," Chase explained to her in an even tone.

Upon hearing this, Cuddy felt as if she was waking from a dream.

"He's in LOVE with you," Chase told her, staring into her eyes.

Cuddy's face began to brighten considerably.

"And the Clinic was his idea," Chase added with a smile.

Cuddy smiled back at Chase warmly.

She then leaned forward and kissed Chase forcefully.

Chase's eyes widened tremendously as she pressed his lips firmly against his. Their kiss ended with an audible pop as she backed up from him.

Cuddy was glowing.

"Thank you," Cuddy told him happily before leaving Chase in the OR completely stunned.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 

Foreman, Cameron, Thirteen and Kutner were still in House's conference room, becoming more frustrated that they couldn't seem to reach a consensus on which tests to run on their patient.

"This is ridiculous. We're getting nowhere with this case," Cameron stated.

"We've narrowed it down to five possible conditions. We just need to think a little harder," Kutner said.

"We're gonna run five different tests on the patient? He'll know that we'll have no idea what the diagnosis is," Cameron pointed out.

"So let's go over it again," Foreman said with a sigh.

"We need House," Cameron argued.

"…He mentioned something about going to the Clinic," Kutner said with a shrug.

"I'll go get him," Cameron said as she got up from her chair with a copy of the patient's file and left the conference room. 

------------------------------------------------------------------ 

House was swabbing the throat of a fourteen year old girl in Exam Room 2 when Cuddy came in.

"You have signs of strep," House announced to the patient. "I'm writing you a prescription for an antibiotic in case the culture comes out positive. Where's your mom?"

"She's outside," the girl said in a raspy voice.

House nodded. He took the swab and placed it in a plastic vial. He then scrawled a prescription for Amoxicillin on his pad and gave it to the girl.

"Show this to her and then fill it at the pharmacy," he told her.

"Thank you," the girl said as she got off the table and left House and Cuddy alone in the exam room.

"I don't remember calling for a consult," House said as he quickly scribbled something in the girl's chart.

"Since when do you write down things in a patient's chart?" Cuddy asked him with an arched eyebrow.

"It's one of my New Year's Resolutions," House replied.

"It's November," Cuddy reminded him.

"So either I'm ambitious or a procrastinator. Pick whichever description of me you like better," House said.

"You're a jerk," Cuddy said, smiling.

House turned away from the chart and gazed at her, taking in her soft features and loving how her beautiful blue- grey eyes were sparkling. He stood up from the stool he had been sitting on and closed the distance between them.

"You didn't come in here to tell me that," House stated, looking down at her.

"You're right," Cuddy said.

With that, Cuddy grasped the lapels of House's sport jacket and pulled him closer to her, engulfing his lips in her own.

House wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer against his body as he deepened their kiss, exploring his mouth with his lips and tongue. Cuddy reached up to rake her fingers through his hair.

As their kiss became more insistent, the door to the Exam Room swung open. House and Cuddy were so involved in each other that they didn't even notice.

Until Cameron spoke from the doorway.

"House, we need—" Cameron began, still looking at the chart in front of her.

But when she looked up and saw House and Cuddy in a passionate embrace, she froze in her tracks.

House and Cuddy suddenly broke off their kiss, staring at Cameron as if they were a teenage couple caught making out in the basement.

"…We're having trouble with the differential," Cameron said to House, trying to maintain a façade of professionalism and refusing to look in Cuddy's direction.

As if nothing had happened, House let go of Cuddy, took the file from Cameron and left the Exam Room, leaving Cameron and Cuddy in the room alone.

Cameron then chuckled in disgust.

"Dr. Cameron, I—" Cuddy began gently.

"I guess you won't be happy until you've slept with every doctor in this hospital," Cameron interrupted her flatly before she left the Exam Room to follow House.

TBC…


	21. Chapter 20

**HI EVERYONE!  
**

**SORRY I HAVEN'T POSTED FOR A FEW DAYS. RL HAS BEEN HECTIC.**

**BUT HERE'S A NEW CHAPTER!  
**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!!  
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**CHAPTER 20: Please read and comment.**

Cameron angrily hurried after House down the hallway after walking on him passionately kissing Cuddy in an exam room in the Clinic.

"We have a patient," Cameron stated to him, finally catching up with him.

"Yeah. Kinda knew that since I'm the one who gave you the file," House replied, not looking at her.

"We have a patient and you're making out with Cuddy in the Clinic!" Cameron declared incredulously.

House stopped in his tracks and spun around to face Cameron.

"You need me to hold your hand through the differential or you just interested in a threesome?" House asked her.

"You're ignoring the patient!" Cameron spat out.

"I always ignore the patient! That's why I have a team! So I CAN ignore the patient!" House yelled back in her face.

Cameron tsked in disgust, narrowing her eyes.

"You're such a jerk," she said.

"Then why did you come back to me?" House demanded, his cerulean eyes boring into her.

Cameron was caught off guard by his penetrating stare and his even more penetrating question.

"…Taub quit. You offered me a job," Cameron said in a meeker tone.

"You were a department head. You were basically my equal. Now you're my subordinate again. Are you that afraid to give the orders or you just like doing the grunt work?" House asked her.

"I missed the cases," Cameron stated.

"You missed ME," House countered.

Cameron inhaled sharply, refusing to show House any reaction to his accusation, no matter how close to home he had just struck.

"Which is why you were so horrified to see me kissing Cuddy in the Clinic," House added.

Cameron ignored her heart thumping loudly in her ears, knowing that if she admitted that he was right that she would lose any respect that House might have still had for her.

"If you thought it would have been a bad career choice for me to come back to you, then why did you offer me the position?" Cameron demanded.

"To see if you would take it," House replied simply.

A wave of nausea enveloped Cameron at House's words.

"…It was a TEST?" Cameron managed to say, her lower lip quivering slightly.

"And you FAILED," House told her.

Cameron swallowed, keeping her gaze on him, trying to maintain whatever dignity she had left inside her.

"I was actually PROUD of you when you quit two years ago. You showed me that you were grown up enough to move on," House said.

"But now, you've ruined your relationship with Chase and gave up a great job for an a$$ like me," House continued.

"Chase CHEATED on me with Cuddy," Cameron pointed out, her eyes becoming glassy.

"You've been cheating on him in your mind with me all along," House stated bluntly.

Cameron pursed her lips together, refusing to let the tears roll down her cheeks.

But House refused to soften at the sight of them.

"When you're done crying, go run a liver function test on our patient," House said gruffly before limping away from her towards his office. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

Towards the end of the day, House was erasing his white board when Cuddy walked into his office.

"How did your case turn out?" Cuddy asked him softly.

House turned around and smiled with closed lips upon seeing her.

She was wearing a form fitting knee length plum dress with capped sleeves, an attractive neckline and black stiletto heels. Her raven curls were tousled about her shoulders.

House could feel the blood rush to the bulge in his pants as he gazed at her.

"Liver function test confirmed Hemochromatosis," House replied, his eyes tracing over her figure.

"That's good…" Cuddy said, her eyes sparkling as she got closer to him.

House arched his eyebrow at her. Cuddy, realizing what she had just said, shook her head.

"I mean, not that the patient has hemochromatosis, but that you diagnosed it," Cuddy added quickly.

House smiled slightly, knowing that Cuddy was slightly flustered after what had happened between them in the Exam Room earlier that day.

"So what did Cameron say to you after I left the Clinic?" House asked her.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "…She called me a whore," she muttered.

"Is it bad that that turns me on?" House asked her with a furrowed brow.

Cuddy sat down on one of the chairs at his conference table and exhaled deeply, resting her head in her hand.

"I deserved it," Cuddy mumbled.

"No you didn't," House said with a grimace. He pulled up a chair and sat down at the head of the table perpendicular to her.

"It couldn't have been easy for her to see me kissing you right after she found out that I slept with Chase," Cuddy told him.

"Yeah, you've had a busy week," House said.

A sound that was almost a laugh escaped her lips in response.

House kept his eyes on her while she stared absentmindedly at the glass table top.

"If it makes you feel any better, I made her cry," House offered.

Cuddy looked up at House and laughed slightly.

She felt her heart flutter in her chest at the soft, yet intense way he was gazing at her.

"… Did you… like it when we kissed?" Cuddy asked him.

"No. It was awful," House said in a sarcastic deadpanned tone.

Cuddy smirked at first, but then her face became serious.

"Maybe… we should keep this out of the hospital for a while," Cuddy suggested.

"Ok," House said. "As soon as you explain to me what 'THIS' is."

"You wanna DEFINE our relationship?" Cuddy asked with raised eyebrows.

"I wanna make sure I tell Wilson the right acronym when he starts annoying me. 'GF,' or 'FWB,' or whatever the kids are saying these days," House replied.

Cuddy smiled ever so slightly, pretending to think it over.

"'GF' doesn't sound right," Cuddy said coyly.

"And we're not friends, so forget 'FWB,'" House added jauntily.

"How about your 'Old Lady?'" Cuddy joked, inching her face closer to him.

"I'll only call you that if you get on the back of my bike," House replied, taking in the scent of her vanilla perfume, thoroughly enjoying their exchange, the bulge in his pants growing at the thought of the front her body pressed against his back on his bike .

"…Thanks for helping out at the Clinic today," Cuddy said to him.

"You're welcome," House replied.

They shared a comfortable silence, just tracing each other's faces with their eyes.

"So, you wanna go get a drink or you just wanna get right to the sex?" Cuddy asked sexily.

"Something tells me that you're better in the sack when you've had a few," House snarked.

"You can always ask Chase," Cuddy quipped, not missing a beat.

"Chase isn't here," House said.

He then cupped her face with his hand and inched his lips closer to hers.

"I like that Chase isn't here," House whispered before giving her a long, lingering kiss. 

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By the end of the evening, Chase was back in his apartment, sitting on his living room couch in front of the TV, playing 'Tony Hawk's Proving Ground' on his Xbox.

His cell phone was resting on the coffee table in full view. He put the game console down and checked it for the fifth time that evening.

He still hadn't heard from Sophie.

And he was beginning to get worried.

"SCREW IT," Chase thought to himself. He picked up his cell phone and pressed the button for Sophie's cell number.

Just like every other time he had called her, her phone rang four times before going to voice mail. He felt his heartbeat increase as he waited for her outgoing voice message to finish.

"Sophie, it's Robert. I've been trying to call you. I don't know if you've gotten my messages… but I'm starting to get worried about you. Please let me know if you're ok," Chase said as calmly as he could.

He then closed his phone with a snap, placed it on the coffee table and picked up his game console again.

A few moments later, Chase's cell phone rang on the coffee table.

It startled him so much that he bobbled the game console in his hands, almost dropping it.

He clumsily put the game console on the floor next to him and grabbed his phone, reading "SOPHIE" on his Caller ID display.

He took a deep breath in an effort to collect himself. He then opened his phone.

"Hey!" Chase said, hoping he didn't sound too eager.

"Hi," Sophie replied sweetly, yet softly.

Chase couldn't get over how his heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice.

"Are you all right?" Chase asked her, trying to quell the the anxiety in his voice.

"I'm fine… I'm so sorry I made you worry about me…" Sophie replied, trailing off.

Chase paused, expecting her to follow up her apology with a reason why she hadn't returned any of his messages.

But she didn't give one.

"…That's ok... I was just a little concerned because I called you back on Friday night and didn't hear from you. Did you get my messages?" Chase asked her.

"...Mmm hmm..." Sophie replied.

Chase could tell by the tentative sound of her voice that she was holding something back.

"Are you sure everything's ok?" Chase asked her again.

"Yeah... everything's fine," Sophie replied.

Chase felt a painful sensation in his chest at her vague answers.

"…Do you have a few minutes to talk?" Chase asked her.

Sophie paused before answering. "I.. I have an exam tomorrow. I should really go study," she said.

"Ok… umm… can I call you tomorrow?" Chase offered.

"…I'll be busy tomorrow," Sophie said, her voice growing quieter.

Chase couldn't stand it anymore.

"Sophie, did I do something wrong?" Chase asked her.

"No, not at all," Sophie said sincerely.

"Then… why—" Chase began.

"I'm sorry. I'll try to call you soon," Sophie said sadly before hanging up.

Chase could have sworn that he heard Sophie on the verge of bursting into tears before she ended their conversation.

"Something's wrong," Chase said aloud. 

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Chase paced around his apartment wondering what he should do.

For some reason, Sophie was very sad and she didn't want to talk to him.

And his heart felt as if it was breaking.

Over the course of only a few days, Chase had felt that he was alive for the first time in a long time.

Sophie made him feel like he could do anything. Like he could trust someone with his heart, like he could open up his soul to someone else.

And now for some reason, she was pushing him away.

Just as his father, House, Cuddy and Cameron had all done.

Chase stared at where he had tossed his leather jacket and his car keys on the other end of his couch.

"NOT THIS TIME," Chase thought to himself firmly.

He then grabbed his keys and jacket and left his apartment, wondering if he'd be able to find a safe place to leave his car at Newark Airport.

TBC…


	22. Chapter 21

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**CHAPTER 21: Please read and comment.**

It was close to one AM, and Sophie was alone in her apartment in Boston, studying.

She was wearing her pajamas--a lavender cotton camisole trimmed with lace and a pair of matching cotton lounge pants—while she was studying from her Anatomy and Physiology textbook.

As she turned the page, she saw a diagram of a cross section of the bones in the wrist.

And she smiled as she remembered the mnemonic that Chase had taught her to help her remember them.

"Scared Lovers Try Positions That They Can't Handle," Sophie thought to herself.

She glanced at her cell phone lying on the bed next to her.

For a moment, she felt the urge to pick it up and call Chase.

But instead, she quickly looked away from it and back at her textbook, holding back the ache that was growing inside her.

She took a deep breath and exhaled deeply as she focused back on her studying.

And then she heard a knock at her door.

As she wondered who the he11 would be at her door at one AM, she grabbed her dark grey hooded sweatshirt off the back of her desk chair and put it on over her camisole.

On the way to her front door, she thought about grabbing the baseball bat that she kept by her hall closet.

But decided against it, thinking that if someone wanted to break in, they probably wouldn't knock.

She looked through the peephole of her front door.

Her heart almost burst out of her chest when she saw Chase through it.

When she opened it, she was met with Chase's forlorn expression.

"What are you doing here?" Sophie managed to say, still in shock to see him.

"What's wrong?" Chase asked gently as he met her eyes with his.

"N-nothing—" Sophie stammered, feeling his gaze penetrate through her.

"Then why won't you talk to me?" Chase asked her.

Sophie shook her head slightly, completely stunned.

"…You came here all the way from New Jersey because I couldn't talk to you?" she asked him.

"Because you WOULDN'T talk to me," Chase clarified.

"Robert… I—" Sophie began.

"Look, I know that me coming here seems a little stalker-ish," Chase said with a slight chuckle.

"But… I didn't know what else to do," Chase added sincerely.

Sophie bit her lower lip to stop it from quivering.

"Just… please tell me… and then I'll leave you alone," Chase said.

Sophie looked away from him and walked back into her apartment.

Chase followed her in hesitation as she sat down on her living room couch.

"I don't want you to leave me alone," Sophie said, barely above a whisper, looking down at her carpet.

Chase, unsure as to if he should sit down next to her or not, remained standing a few feet away from her as she kept her gaze on the floor.

"…Why not?" he asked tentatively.

"Because you were right," Sophie said plainly, finally looking up at him.

"When you kissed me on Thursday night before you went back to Princeton, it was like there was nothing else in the world but us," Sophie said, her voice full of emotion.

Chase could feel his heart swell inside him and a smile from ear to ear form on his face.

He sat down next to her on the couch and took her hand in his.

"You have no idea how wonderful that makes me feel—" Chase began.

"--Which is why I can't be with you," Sophie added solemly, interrupting him.

Upon hearing this, Chase froze.

"… I don't understand…" he said.

"Because you're going to break my heart," Sophie told him softly.

"I would never—" Chase started to say.

"You won't mean to, but you will," Sophie told him with the same soft tone of voice.

Chase shook his head vehemently in protest.

But Sophie placed her other hand on top his to allow her to continue and to give herself the strength that she needed to tell him what she had been mulling over the last few days.

"You just broke up with Allison. You're not ready to commit to anyone right now—" Sophie began.

"I wouldn't have flown here in the middle of the night if I had a commitment problem," Chase stated.

"You flew here in the middle of the night because you were hoping I'd be swept away by a grandiose romantic gesture," Sophie told him.

"That's not why—" Chase tried to tell her.

"Robert, I've seen men do what you're doing. They go from one woman to the next to try to fill a hole in their life," Sophie continued, not allowing him to finish.

"And that's EXACTLY what you're hoping to do with me," she added.

"That's NOT true," Chase stated strongly.

"Yes it IS," Sophie argued, looking back down at her lap unable to look at the growing anguish in his eyes.

"It would be a mistake for us to be together," Sophie said flatly.

Chase paused before continuing, knowing that her words didn't match what she felt in her heart.

"You almost sound like you're trying to convince yourself," Chase said.

Sophie looked up at the ceiling, desperately trying to hold back the tears that were starting to well up in her eyes.

"I am," Sophie whispered, feeling her breathing shallow.

"Why?" Chase pressed her.

Sophie couldn't hold back any longer. She looked right into his beautiful blue- green eyes.

"Because I'm in love with you, Robert," Sophie blurted out as the tears began to roll down her cheeks.

Before Chase could respond, she suddenly got up from her couch. She turned around to face him as she placed her hands on the upper part of her chest over her grey hooded sweatshirt.

"This is the same sweatshirt that I wore the last time I saw you," Sophie admitted to him.

Chase smiled tenderly at her with closed lips, and rose off her couch, stepping closer towards her.

"I remember," Chase said.

"And I still haven't washed it because it still smells like you," Sophie said tearfully.

Chase gently caressed her cheek with his thumb, brushing her tears away. He tilted her chin up to meet his gaze.

"…And I can still feel your kiss," Sophie whispered sadly, her lower lip quivering slightly.

Chase could feel his heart hammering in his chest as he looked into her eyes.

He touched his lips with hers ever so softly, feeling her lips tremble against his.

At first, Sophie gave into his gentle kisses, feeling her resolve begin to slip away at the touch of his lips, the lingering scent of the soap he had used that morning, and the feel of his arms begin to wrap around her waist.

He continued to brush his lips against hers over and over again.

His lips parted slightly to deepen their kiss.

He traced the inside of her lips with his tongue delicately. She whimpered softly into his mouth.

He pulled her closer to him, holding her against his body.

Sophie could feel the most intense emotions she had ever felt surge through her being as his kiss enveloped her.

She then took every ounce of strength in her and broke off their kiss.

"No… I can't," Sophie said as she began to push him away.

"Sophie, please—" Chase begged as he tried to hold onto her.

Sophie shook her head vigorously as she tried to break free of his grasp.

But he wouldn't let her go.

"You said it yourself. Love shouldn't be that hard," Chase told her desperately as he cupped her face and stared into her eyes.

Sophie stopped struggling against him as her skin tingled under the touch of his hand. He moved his face closer to hers and pressed his forehead against hers.

"This is effortless," Chase whispered, nuzzling his nose against her own, closing his eyes, feeling himself become lost in her.

"No it's not," Sophie said as strongly as she could, pushing him back, making him open his eyes.

"It's just EASY," Sophie clarified with no emotion.

Chase backed up slightly away from her as her words stabbed right through his heart.

"Please… just go," Sophie managed to choke out.

Chase refused to move.

"… You just said you love me," he said softly, feeling his own eyes begin to well up with tears.

"I do," Sophie said, wiping her own eyes.

"And that's why you have to go," she added.

Chase inhaled deeply to collect himself.

He then slowly turned away from her and let himself out of her apartment.

Sophie closed the door behind him.

And then she burst out crying.

She sat down in a heap against her door as her sobs overtook her body, completely unaware that Chase was listening to her cry on the other side of her door outside her apartment, the tears finally rolling down his cheeks.

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Early the next morning, Wilson was sitting at his desk in his office swamped with paperwork when Chase opened his door without knocking.

"We need to talk," Chase stated.

Wilson glanced up from his paperwork briefly and then back down at his desk.

"Chase, I'm kinda busy here—" Wilson began, slightly annoyed at his presence and ignoring the redness and puffiness around Chase's eyes.

"What's your sister's favorite flower?" Chase interrupted him.

Wilson suddenly looked up from his desk in surprise.

"I know she doesn't like roses," Chase added.

Wilson put his pen down and leaned back in his chair.

"….How did you figure out that Sophie's my sister?" Wilson asked him as calmly as he could.

Chase fully entered his office and closed the door behind him, sitting down at the chair in front of Wilson's desk.

"She told me that she has two brothers, one that she hasn't heard from in years… She told me that she had heard that Princeton Plainsboro was an interesting place to work… She told me that her family has a tendency to be there when people need them and even when they don't… Her last name is Wilson…" Chase explained in an even tone.

He then paused before continuing.

"…And she said that she's seen men go from one woman to the next to try to fill a hole in their life," Chase finished.

"Now who does that sound like?" Chase asked in a slightly condescending tone.

Wilson laughed in disgust.

"Flying up to Boston on a whim and buying her flowers isn't gonna convince her that she should be with you," Wilson muttered, looking back down at his work.

"And you wouldn't have just told me that if you thought that she and I shouldn't be together," Chase argued.

At this, Wilson tossed his pen down on his desk angrily.

"I was there at the conference, Chase. I know everything that happened between you and Cuddy," Wilson stated, seething.

"Cuddy and I were drunk. It was a one- time thing—" Chase began.

"Oh. Well then I DEFINITELY think you're perfect for my sister," Wilson said, the sarcasm dripping in his voice.

"You knew that I had met Sophie at this conference. You could have told her that I cheated on Cameron but you DIDN'T," Chase pointed out.

"It wasn't my place to tell her," Wilson replied with a shrug.

"You're her big brother. It's your JOB to protect her," Chase argued.

Wilson nodded.

"That's right. It is," he agreed.

He then leaned over his desk, closer to Chase.

"Which is why I'm NOT telling you what her favorite flower is," Wilson said adamantly.

"Now get the he11 out of my office and stay away from my sister," Wilson said evenly.

Chase felt the same pain in his chest as he did last night when Sophie told him that he was going to break his heart.

But instead of leaving as Wilson told him to, he remained.

"NO," Chase stated.

Wilson raised his eyebrows in shock.

"She was crying hysterically when she kicked me out last night," Chase told him.

"I know that. She called me right afterwards," Wilson said.

"And what did she tell you?" Chase demanded.

At first, Wilson refused to answer him.

But upon seeing the determined look on Chase's face, Wilson exhaled and slumped his shoulders.

"That she's in love with you," Wilson muttered.

"And I'm in love with her," Chase said.

"How do you know?" Wilson demanded.

"Because she makes me feel like wonderful things can happen," Chase told him.

"And that I actually deserve to feel that way," Chase added.

Wilson paused once more before answering him.

"…She likes pink and white gladiolus and honeysuckle," Wilson finally replied. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Later that same afternoon, Sophie entered her apartment after a long and grueling day of classes.

Her eyes were still red and swollen from crying the night before.

The room was pitch black, but a sweet, fragrant smell entered her nostrils.

As she flicked on the light switch, she froze in her spot in her foyer, her hands flying up to her face.

Every surface of her living room was completely filled with what seemed like dozens of vases of beautiful pink and white gladiolus flowers and draped with endless vines of honeysuckle blossoms.

"Oh my goodness…" Sophie whispered aloud in awe at the sight in front of her.

Completely overwhelmed, her eye happened to catch a lavender envelope in one of the gladiolus arrangements.

She slowly walked over to it in a haze, took it out of the vase and opened it.

Inside was a handwritten white card.

"I KNEW THAT YOU DIDN'T LIKE ROSES.

YOUR BROTHER HELPED ME NARROW IT DOWN A BIT.

HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON.

LOVE FOREVER,

ROBERT."

TBC...


	23. Chapter 22

**HI EVERYONE!  
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**CHAPTER 22: Please read and comment.**

That night, Wilson was in his apartment, watching "My Best Friend is a Vampire," on Showtime when his cell phone rang next to him on the couch.

He smiled immediately when he saw "SO" show up on the caller ID. He turned down the volume on the TV and answered his phone.

"Hey So," Wilson said into his phone in a cheery manner.

"My living room is filled with flowers," Sophie stated flatly.

Wilson paused as he pursed his lips together, trying to hide a smirk that was growing on his face despite the fact that his little sister couldn't see him over the phone.

"… Define 'filled,'" Wilson said as calmly as he could.

"There's gladiolus and honeysuckle EVERYWHERE!" Sophie exclaimed. "I have no place to put anything down!"

"…It must… smell nice," Wilson managed to say, his smirk broadening into a grin.

"I can't BELIEVE you told him!" Sophie said to Wilson angrily.

"He ASKED me!" Wilson cried.

"You KNEW how I felt about this! I called you up and cried on the phone to you—" Sophie began in an agitated manner.

"Sophie, stop being an idiot," Wilson interrupted her.

Wilson's blunt statement stunned her into silence.

"Chase LOVES you," Wilson said a bit more gently.

"Why? Because he spent a small fortune on flowers and broke into my house?" Sophie asked in irritation.

"Because he asked ME what your favorite flowers were," Wilson replied.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sophie asked him in bewilderment.

"He knew that I was your brother and he was well aware that I knew about his… actions… at the conference," Wilson said, not wanting to shove it in her face that Chase had cheated on Cameron.

"But he asked me for my help anyway," Wilson added.

"So what does that mean?" Sophie asked wearily.

"It means that he doesn't see you as the rebound girl," Wilson replied pedantically.

Sophie slumped down on her living room couch and closed her eyes.

Ever since Chase had shown up at her apartment the night before, she had been extremely conflicted.

She knew that she had incredibly deep feelings for Chase, but because he seemed to be going from one woman to the next, she wasn't sure if it was the right choice to give into those feelings.

"I'm your older brother. Chase wouldn't have come to me to help him win you over if he knew that in the end he was only going to hurt you. I'd punch his lights out," Wilson said.

Sophie chuckled. "You'd never punch anyone," she said.

"For you I would," Wilson replied in a serious manner.

Sophie smiled warmly, knowing that he was telling the truth.

Wilson and Sophie were fifteen years apart in age and he had always been very protective of her for as long as she could remember.

And she trusted him above anyone else when she needed advice.

He wasn't only her brother. He was her best friend.

"I know you're afraid that he's gonna break your heart," Wilson began.

"…But you can't hold your life back because of what might happen," he continued meaningfully.

Upon hearing these words, Sophie felt her heart break for her brother.

She remembered in great detail the grief and anguish that Wilson had experienced after Amber's accident.

He had spent a few weeks in Boston with her after it had happened.

And even though he slept on her couch and she had been studying and going to classes, she cooked him dinner every night and they talked until the early hours of the morning.

And somehow, he had managed to find the strength to go on.

And she admired him greatly for it.

"Why do you want me to be with him so much?" Sophie asked him.

"Because it would do you some good to get out more instead of burying your nose in a medical textbook all the time," Wilson replied with amusement.

"So this is a all a plot to get me to have more of a social life?" Sophie quipped, feeling a smile play about her lips.

"And because I've never heard you happier than when you talk about him," Wilson said sincerely.

"What are you talking about? I'm miserable," Sophie mumbled.

"You're only miserable because you're pushing him away," Wilson pointed out.

"And you deserve to be happy," he added.

Sophie let Wilson's words sink in as she looked around at the beautiful gladiolus and honeysuckle blossoms that adorned her living room.

On a whim, she nuzzled her nose against her arm to smell the still lingering scent of Chase on her sweatshirt, feeling a wonderful warmth and happiness fill her once again.

"I bet the flowers are beautiful," Wilson said.

"…They really are," Sophie admitted.

"So what are you gonna do?" Wilson asked.

Sophie exhaled. "I don't know. I need some time to think about it," she admitted.

"Then do that," Wilson said.

"Thanks for listening," Sophie told him.

"Anytime," he replied.

As he heard her hang up the phone on her end, Wilson hoped that he was right about Chase and that he hadn't just made a tremendous mistake in telling Sophie to take a chance on him.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 It was a half- hour later when House decided to stop ignoring the repeated knocking at his front door.

He crawled out of his bed, mumbled a few unintelligible curses as he reached for his blue pinstripe pajama pants on his floor, slipped them on and limped to the door without his cane.

"House, open up," Wilson called from the other side of the door.

House opened the door and glared at Wilson.

"WHAT?!" House barked at him.

Wilson's eyebrow arched curiously, noticing that House was only wearing pajama bottoms. He knew from living with him for a short period of time that he always wore a t- shirt to bed.

"I needed to talk to someone," Wilson said.

"So you picked ME?" House asked in annoyance.

"Cuddy's not answering her phone!" Wilson explained.

"Which means she didn't want to talk to you either," House stated.

"My sister's in love with Chase," Wilson sighed.

"That's fascinating. Good- bye," House said as he began to close the door in Wilson's face.

But before House could shut the door completely, Wilson pushed the door open, strode into House's apartment and headed for the couch.

House rubbed the back of his neck in irritation as Wilson slumped down on his living room couch, wondering what would be the quickest way to get rid of him.

"Sophie looks to me for advice and I don't know if I told her the right thing," Wilson said.

"I sure you either annoyed her or screwed her up for the rest of her life. Maybe both. Now get out," House told him.

"But Chase really seems to care about her," Wilson admitted, completely ignoring House.  "Send me an e-mail when they've registered for their china pattern," House snarked.

"What if he breaks her heart? It'll be all my fault," Wilson said sadly.

House exhaled slowly and audibly, knowing that Wilson wasn't going to leave unless he threw him a bone.

"Chase isn't gonna break her heart," House muttered.

Wilson looked up and watched House limp over to him and sit down on the other end of the couch.

"How do you know that?" Wilson asked.

"Because Chase isn't stupid. He finally found someone that loves him back. He's not gonna screw that up," House explained.

At first, Wilson nodded in agreement.

Then his expression changed to one of surprise.

"Wait a minute," Wilson said slowly.

"You're actually TALKING to me about this?!" Wilson asked.

"You came here for a reason," House replied with a casual shrug.

Wilson chuckled, finally understanding House's motives.

"You're talking to me about this because you're hoping that if you give me an answer then I'll be satisfied enough to leave," Wilson stated knowingly.

"So did it work?" House asked him in a deadpanned voice.

"Who's in your bedroom?" Wilson asked with a sly grin.

"Nobody," House stated.

Just then, the sound of House's toilet flushing could be heard throughout his small apartment.

"CRAP," House thought to himself.

"Apparently, 'nobody' had to use the bathroom," Wilson quipped in amusement.

"You're hearing noises that don't exist. Remind me to give you a psych referral tomorrow," House said as he grabbed Wilson's arm and dragged him back to his front door to kick him out.

"Who's back there?" Wilson asked, now extremely intrigued as to why House was trying so hard to get rid of him.

"A hooker who isn't giving me a discount or overtime," House said bluntly.

Wilson, slightly embarrassed, scrunched his shoulders up and slunk into himself.

"…Sorry," he mumbled before House escorted him out of his apartment, slamming the door behind him.

House limped back to the bedroom with a relieved expression on his face.

"Why do women always have to pee after sex?" House asked aloud once he returned back to his bedroom.

"One of the mysteries of life," Cuddy quipped from her position in his bed.

She was lying on her side and his blanket was draped over the lower half of her body.

House felt an unusually good feeling surge through him upon noticing that Cuddy had slipped his white t- shirt over herself.

"Is he gone?" Cuddy asked him.

"Finally. I had to tell him that you were a hooker so he would leave," House said.

"If I was a hooker you couldn't afford me," Cuddy stated with a grin.

A smile formed on House's lips as he climbed back into his bed with her. He placed his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

He then hooked his hand underneath the bottom of her bare thigh, draping it over his hip as his eyes penetrated through her.

"And if you were a hooker I wouldn't kiss you on the mouth," House said before encapturing her lips with his own.

Cuddy raked her fingers through the back of House's shortly cropped hair as they kissed, moaning softy into his mouth as his tongue confidently explored hers.

He moved his lips down her chin to her neck. Cuddy arched back to give him better access.

"He's gonna find out eventually," Cuddy breathed.

"Eventually doesn't mean tonight," House said huskily as he continued the exploration of her neck.

"We can't keep it a secret from him forever," Cuddy pointed out as she wrapped her arms around his back.

"We can try," House replied while his hands slipped underneath the t- shirt she was wearing to caress the soft skin of her bare breasts.

"Why was he even here?" Cuddy asked.

House pulled back slightly from her body and stared pointedly at her.

"Talking about Wilson at this moment isn't really the way to keep me at full salute," House stated.

Cuddy chuckled, sat up slightly and rolled House onto his back. She straddled his body and lowered herself down onto him.

"I don't think you'll have a problem with that tonight," Cuddy purred against his ear.

House found the hem of the t- shirt and pulled it off her, exposing her lovely torso.

He then pulled her closer to him so their bodies were pressed against each others.

As they kissed once more, Cuddy couldn't help but compare the way Chase and House kissed in her mind.

She had to admit that House was a fantastic kisser. She could feel his definite and unyielding passion for her as he engulfed her lips, almost as if he was trying to possess her.

And it was an incredible turn on.

But Chase's kisses were softer, more delicate. When he brushed her lips tenderly, it was almost as if he was trying to sweep her away into a haze or search into a deeper part of her.

Cuddy pushed Chase out of her mind as House flipped her over onto her back, cupped her breast in one hand, suckled her erect nipple and reached down to palm her ass with his other hand.

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The next morning at around 11:00 AM, Chase was walking down the halls of PPTH towards the doctor's lounge as his phone rang in the back pocket of his scrubs.

He had been expecting a call from Radiology all morning on a patient, so he didn't even bother to look at the caller ID when he took the phone out of his pocket to answer it.

"This is Chase," Chase said into the phone in a professional manner.

"…Hi Robert. It's Sophie," Sophie said on the other end.

Chase stopped abruptly in his tracks upon hearing her soft, sweet voice on the other end of the line.

"Hi!" Chase said in a tone almost an octave higher than normal.

"Is this a bad time?" Sophie asked him.

"No, not at all," Chase said happily. "I was hoping you'd call."

"I wanted to thank you for the flowers. They're absolutely beautiful," Sophie told him sincerely.

"I'm so glad you liked them," Chase said.

"And… thanks for not breaking the lock when you broke into my apartment," Sophie added.

"I didn't break in. Your brother gave me a copy of your key," Chase said with a chuckle.

Sophie paused, inhaling slightly before continuing. Chase waited on baited breath amidst the silence.

"…So… that's twice in two days that you've flown up here," Sophie said.

"That's true," Chase said, not having any idea why she would point that out.

"Well… maybe it's about time that I flew down to see you," Sophie said, almost coyly.

Chase felt his heart skip a beat in his chest.

"Really?" Chase said quite eagerly.

Sophie suppressed the urge to laugh at the tone of his voice and continued.

"I haven't seen Jimmy in a while… and there's a Hitchcock film festival at the Princeton Campus Cinema this weekend…" Sophie began.

She took another pause, feeling Chase's grin through the phone.

"Robert, would you like to go to the movies with me this Saturday night?" Sophie asked him.

"I'd love to!" Chase blurted out.

Sophie laughed out loud at his response. Chase couldn't help laugh along with her.

"Great. I'll call you when I get in," Sophie said, feeling her smile take over her entire face.

"I can't wait," Chase told her, his smile matching hers.

"Me too," Sophie said before hanging up.

"YES!!" Chase said aloud, making a triumphant fist close to his body.

Chase was still grinning when he closed his phone. He sauntered over to the doctor's lounge with a noticeable spring in his step as he opened the door.

But his smile disappeared when he saw Cameron sitting on one of the couches in the lounge curled up in a ball crying with her head in her hands.

TBC…


	24. Chapter 23

**HI EVERYONE!  
**

**THERE ARE ONLY A FEW CHAPTERS LEFT OF THIS FIC!**

**I HOPE YOU ALL DECIDE TO STICK AROUND FOR THE ENDING!**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

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**CHAPTER 23: Please read and comment.**

Chase's smile disappeared when he saw Cameron sitting on one of the couches in the lounge curled up in a ball crying with her head in her hands.

His first instinct was to turn around and leave the lounge.

But despite the fact that they had ended their relationship, a part of him just wouldn't let him leave her to cry alone.

Her back was turned to him when he took a few tentative steps towards her.

"…You ok?" Chase asked.

Cameron looked up, startled at the presence of someone else in the room with her. Chase could see that some of her mascara had streaked down her face, but said nothing.

When she saw that it was Chase, she relaxed and turned away from him, making a noise somewhere between a forced, curt laugh and an exhale.

"Not really," Cameron replied glumly.

Chase took the small box of tissues that were on the table next to the couch and handed them to her as he sat down.

Cameron took a few tissues from the box and wiped her eyes, not making eye contact with Chase.

"I'm such an idiot," Cameron muttered as she wiped her nose.

Chase remained silent, continuing to hold the tissue box as she carelessly tossed the used tissues on a space on the couch next to her.

"I walked in on House kissing Cuddy in the Clinic the other day," Cameron said, still not looking at him.

"... And... I basically called Cuddy a whore right to her face..." she added in a lower voice.

"Ouch," Chase said, wincing.

But Cameron didn't seem to notice that he had said anything.

"I actually thought that if I went back to House that I'd be HAPPY," Cameron said, disgusted with herself.

Chase nodded as Cameron took more tissues out of the box. She wiped her eyes once more and tossed the tissues into the pile that was forming.

"But I forgot all the times that he pissed me off and made me sad and—" Cameron began.

"That has a tendency to happen with him," Chase interrupted her gently.

Cameron finally looked at Chase.

He was gazing at her in a way that she had seen so many times before, but hadn't actually noticed until now.

It wasn't just kindness or gentleness.

It was patience.

When she had decided to finally give a relationship with Chase a chance a year and a half ago, she tried to convince herself that she was over House and that she was ready to move on.

But in spite of Chase's sweetness and love, she couldn't give herself to him entirely.

Chase knew that she had found little ways to get involved with House's new team just to be near him-- bringing him cases, asking him personal questions...

But Chase had never said a word.

He never protested, never voiced disapproval in her actions.

He just let her be.

"I did everything wrong," Cameron said sadly.

"No you didn't," Chase told her.

"Yes I did. I gave up a great job in the ER—" Cameron began.

"You could still go back to the ER if you wanted to," Chase said.

"And I ruined my relationship with you," Cameron said.

Chase smiled weakly at her.

"I think I had a hand in that, too," he admitted.

This time it was Chase's turn to look down at his lap while Cameron kept her eyes on him.

"I should have just told you that I wasn't happy with the way things were between us," Chase said softly.

"…Why didn't you?" Cameron asked him.

"I guess I thought that if I waited long enough, that you would eventually come around," Chase said.

Cameron felt an ache in her heart at Chase's words.

"I should have given you a drawer," Cameron said.

"Allie, it was more than that—" Chase began.

"You wouldn't have slept with Cuddy if I had let you into my life and my heart," Cameron said.

"But you couldn't do that," Chase said.

Another disgusted laugh escaped Cameron's lips.

"You REALLY don't need to make me feel worse right now by pointing out what a horrible person I am," Cameron told him.

"That's not what I meant," Chase said.

"I mean that if you had let me in, you would have been lying to yourself," Chase explained.

Cameron nodded slowly, knowing that Chase was absolutely right.

"I guess you can't force yourself to love someone," Cameron said.

"Just like you can't help who you fall in love with," Chase said, smiling kindly at her once again.

Upon seeing Chase's smile, Cameron arched her eyebrow.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Cameron asked him.

"…Why should I be mean to you?" Chase asked her back.

"I've been in love with another man the entire time we were together. I think that entitles you to some anger," Cameron stated.

"I'll put it on my to- do list," Chase quipped, his smile morphing into a grin.

"You're smiling," Cameron said.

"So?" Chase asked.

"I basically just told you that I never loved you and you're SMILING," Cameron said in disbelief.

Chase continued to smile, but said nothing.

"Now you're GLOWING," Cameron pointed out.

"I always glow," Chase said enigmatically.

"No you don't. You only glow when you're deliriously happy," Cameron told him.

Chase knew that this wasn't the time to tell her that he had fallen in love with Wilson's sister and that he had a date with her this coming weekend.

So instead, he merely shrugged his shoulder, his mysterious smile remaining.

"I'm having a good day," Chase said simply.

Cameron continued to stare at him, but didn't question his reply.

"You gonna be ok?" Chase asked her.

"…Eventually," Cameron said, looking back down at her lap.

"I just have no idea how I'm going to continue to come to work here everyday and face Cuddy and House…" she added, trailing off.

Chase eyed her contemplatively as an idea suddenly struck him.

"Maybe… that's the problem," Chase said.

"What do you mean?" Cameron asked him.

"Who says that you have to face them everyday?" Chase asked her.

"Well it's either I ban both House and Cuddy from the ER or I quit my job and leave Princeton," Cameron joked, expecting Chase to laugh.

But Chase didn't laugh.

Instead, he leaned over slightly and took his wallet out of his back pocket.

He then produced a business card and handed it to her. She took it from him and read it to herself silently:

"DR. NEIL STERN, CHIEF OF MEDICINE, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL"

"When I was at the conference in Boston, Dr. Stern offered me a job as the department head of the new Diagnostics group he's starting," Chase began.

Cameron looked up at Chase with a bewildered expression on her face.

"He said that he couldn't think of anyone else that he'd rather have as his new head of Diagnostics than a former employee of House," Chase said sincerely.

As she realized what Chase was telling her, she couldn't help but smirk.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" she asked him sardonically.

Chase paused before slowly taking her hand in his and looking deeply into her eyes.

"I'm trying to show you that you can exist without House," Chase told her.

Cameron could feel Chase's eyes and his words penetrate right through her.

"And maybe it's time that you moved on for real," Chase said. 

------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Later that day, Cuddy was sitting at her desk on the phone with one of the hospital's major benefactors when Cameron entered her office and placed a short typed letter on her desk.

Cuddy glanced up at Cameron and then down at the letter, noticing Cameron's signature at the bottom.

"Can I call you back?" Cuddy asked the person on the other end of the line.

Cameron waited patiently in front of Cuddy's desk as Cuddy said a cordial 'good- bye.'

Cuddy then read the paper that Cameron had placed in front of her in complete shock.

"What's this?" Cuddy asked her.

"My resignation," Cameron said calmly.

Cuddy took her eyes away from the paper, her facial expression demanding an explanation from her employee.

"I accepted a position at NYU as Head of Diagnostics," Cameron explained.

"I don't understand," Cuddy said. "Where did this come from all of a sudden?"

"It's not all of a sudden," Cameron replied.

"And I can't continue to stay here if all it does is make me miserable," Cameron stated.

Cuddy remembering how awkward it had been when Cameron had walked in on her and House kissing in one of the exam rooms in the Clinic.

But she never imagined that Cameron would quit because of it.

"Dr. Stern wants me to start as soon as possible, but I told him that I need to stay for two weeks so you can find someone to replace me," Cameron said.

Cuddy nodded in silence.

Seeing that Cuddy had nothing else to say to her, Cameron turned around and left her office, closing the door behind her.

As Cuddy began to process what had just happened, she suddenly remembered that Dr. Stern had offered that same position to Chase at the conference last week.

And that she and Chase were the only ones who knew about it.

Cuddy angrily got up from her desk and stormed out of her office, determined to find Chase.

TBC…


	25. Chapter 24

**HI EVERYONE!!**

**THANKS FOR POSTING AND READING!!**

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That afternoon, Chase and House were in the doctor's lounge watching 'Prescription Passion' on TV. House was eating chips out of a small bag, which Chase kept eyeing.

"I can't believe you watch this," Chase muttered, as he reached over to steal a chip from House's bag.

"You're watching it too," House pointed out, slapping Chase's hand away before he could snag a chip.

"Only because the TV in the surgical lounge isn't working," Chase replied.

"Hmmm…. Maybe I should get my girlfriend on that," House mused.

Chase snapped his head towards House with a look of surprise on his face.

"'GIRLFRIEND?!" Chase exclaimed.

"Well, it was either that or I called her 'the hot Dean of Medicine that I'm currently shagging.' Isn't that the expression that you British use?" House snarked, keeping his focus on the TV.

"I'm Australian. How long has this been going on?" Chase asked with extreme interest.

"What? The use of the word 'shag' or the fact that Cuddy and I are sleeping together?" House asked in a deadpanned voice.

Chase smirked and folded his arms across his chest, waiting for House to answer him. House glanced at him briefly with annoyance and then turned back to the TV.

"...A few days," House muttered.

Chase nodded, keeping the smirk on his face.

"So… is sleeping together all your doing?" Chase prodded.

"What else is there?" House asked with a grimace, wishing that Chase would shut up and let him watch his soap in peace.

"Did you take her out on a date yet?" Chase asked him pedantically.

"The whole point of going out on dates is to get laid. I'm already getting laid. I don't have to go out on dates," House replied, shoving some more chips into his mouth.

Chase stared at House with a furrowed brow.

"Does Cuddy agree with that theory?" Chase asked curiously.

"Dunno. I didn't ask," House said with a shrug.

Chase raised his eyebrows slightly at this, but said nothing.

Just then, Cuddy stormed into the lounge, strode over to the two men and stood in front of the TV, blocking their view.  "In my office," Cuddy ordered, staring both men down.

House and Chase exchanged glances and looked back at Cuddy.

"Me or him?" House asked.

"HIM," Cuddy replied angrily, jutting her chin at Chase.

Chase looked down, avoiding Cuddy's gaze, pretty sure of the reason why Cuddy was so angry at the moment.

"He hasn't seen any of the episodes this seasons. I need to catch him up," House said.

"NOW!" Cuddy yelled.

Chase quickly got up off the couch and began to follow Cuddy out of the lounge.

"She's feisty. Can I watch?" House asked.

"NO," Cuddy replied, not looking back at him as she escorted Chase quickly out of the room. 

--------------------------------------------------------------

 A few minutes later, Chase and Cuddy were in her office. Chase was seated on the couch as Cuddy stood in front of him.

"Why did you tell Cameron to quit?" Cuddy demanded of him.

"I didn't TELL her to quit. I merely gave her an option that she didn't know she had," Chase replied simply.

"Well she took it. She accepted the job at NYU as their Head of Diagnostics," Cuddy told him in an irate tone.

Upon hearing this, Chase smiled.

"Good for her," Chase stated sincerely.

A curt laugh of disgust escaped Cuddy's lips.

"Since when do you care about Cameron?" Cuddy asked him.

"I never said I didn't care about her," Chase said defensively.

"Oh excuse me. I didn't realize that a synonym for 'caring about someone' is 'cheating on them,'" Cuddy said in an obnoxious and sarcastic manner.

Chase's defensive expression changed to one of mild amusement.

"You didn't exactly stop me," Chase retorted.

Cuddy shot Chase a menacing glare and began to pace back and forth in her office. Chase watched her as she did so.

"Did Cameron tell you why she quit?" Chase asked her.

"What does it matter what she told me? She obviously quit because House and I are…" Cuddy said, trailing off.

Chase arched his eyebrows at her silence, waiting for her to finish her thought.

"… 'dating,'" Cuddy muttered.

Chase chuckled ever so slightly at Cuddy's choice of words, remembering what House had told him a few moments ago in the doctor's lounge.

But Cuddy was too incensed to pay any attention.

"Cameron's an excellent doctor and she's a great department head! Now I have to replace her because you convinced her that she was miserable here!" Cuddy exclaimed.

"I didn't convince her. She WAS miserable!" Chase argued.

"So you were just being a good friend, is that it?" Cuddy asked skeptically.

"Yes," Chase answer her.

Cuddy's look of disbelief became more pronounced at Chase's answer.

"I know you too well. There's NO WAY you did this as a purely selfless act," Cuddy said in an accusing tone.

"You think you know me because we slept together once?" Chase demanded.

"I know you because you've been my EMPLOYEE for the last five years," Cuddy stated.

"And if you want to CONTINUE to be my employee, you're going to have to make up for the fact that you just made me lose my ER Chief," Cuddy added.

Chase exhaled in exasperation.

"So what do I have to do? Cover House's Clinic Duty?" Chase asked wearily.

"No," Cuddy said, pausing for effect.

"You're doing a fifteen hour NICU rotation this Saturday," Cuddy told him with a slightly triumphant expression.

At this, Chase stood up off the couch and stepped closer to her with a look of complete shock.

Sophie was flying in from Boston on Saturday for their first date.

If he had to do a fifteen hour NICU rotation, he would have to cancel on her.

As if reading his mind, Cuddy placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head slightly.

"What wrong? You got a hot date with your Xbox this weekend?" Cuddy snarked.

At first, Chase didn't reply. He raked his fingers through the back of his hair and looked away from her penetrating gaze.

"…Sophie's… coming in from Boston for the weekend. We had plans to see a movie," Chase mumbled.

"Not anymore," Cuddy stated flatly.

Chase felt his heart sink as he realized that Cuddy wasn't about to change her mind.

"You'd better call Sophie and tell her that you're grounded on Saturday night," Cuddy added condescendingly. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Chase was sitting in the common area of the OR signing off on some charts that he had accumulated recently in an effort to avoid the inevitable phone call he had to make.

He lolled his head back and closed his eyes, knowing that if he avoided it much longer, it would only make things worse.

He took his cell phone out of the back pocket of his scrubs and pressed the button for Sophie's number.

After two rings, she picked up the phone.

"Hey, I was just thinking about you," Sophie said happily.

Chase couldn't help but smile despite the fact that he was about to give her bad news.

"That's nice to hear," Chase said sweetly.

"You wanna know why I was thinking about you?" Sophie said coyly.

"Sure," Chase replied, hoping that she couldn't pick up on the growing sadness in her voice.

"Because I'm out shopping for something to wear for our date on Saturday night," Sophie replied.

'F*CK,' Chase thought to himself silently.

"Sophie… I'm…" Chase began tentatively.

"I should be in sometime after one o'clock," Sophie continued. "I have plans for lunch with Jimmy, then I'm going to do some studying, but if you like, we can go to dinner before the movie," Sophie said hopefully.

Chase pursed his lips together, feeling a pain in his chest at what he was about to tell her.

"Sophie… I'm going to have to cancel our date," Chase said sadly.

At first, Sophie was silent. She didn't say anything for a few moments.

Chase waited for her to speak, hoping that she wasn't angry.

"…That's ok," Sophie finally said softly.

"I'm so sorry," Chase apologized.

"I understand," Sophie said. "You're having… second thoughts about going out with me," Sophie said barely above a whisper, trying to prevent her voice from cracking.

Chase's eyes bugged out of his head, completely stunned by her statement.

"No! That's not it at all!" Chase declared vehemently, shaking his head on the other end.

"Then, why—" Sophie began.

"Because I screwed up," Chase stated flatly, completely disgusted with himself.

"What happened?" Sophie asked him.

Chase exhaled deeply and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Let's just say that no good deed goes unpunished," Chase muttered.

In spite of her disappointment, Sophie smiled slightly on the other end.

"So what did you do?" she asked him.

Chase quickly racked his brain, thinking of the easiest way to tell her that he had helped his ex- girlfriend quit her job and pissed off the woman he slept with as a result.

"I… did something nice for a… colleague… and my boss got angry because of it, and now I have to work a fifteen hour shift in the NICU on Saturday," Chase said.

Sophie could tell by the way that Chase had paused before the word 'colleague' that he was hiding something.

But she didn't let on.

"Well that sucks," Sophie declared.

"Yep," Chase agreed with a chuckle.

"I guess nice guys finish last, huh?" Sophie asked him rhetorically.

"Trust me. I wasn't always this nice," Chase replied.

"I find that very hard to believe," Sophie told him.

Chase smiled once more, feeling a wonderful warmth surge through him at her words.

"What time were you planning on going back on Sunday?" Chase asked her.

"Sometime in the morning. I have a study group in the afternoon and exams next week," Sophie said in a resigning tone.

"I can cancel on my study group," Sophie offered.

"That's ridiculous. I'm not gonna make you do that," Chase told her.

"How about I come up the weekend after?" Chase offered.

"I was kinda looking forward to grabbing onto you at all the scary parts of the movie," Sophie told him coyly.

Chase grinned.

"We can still do that. I think they have movie theaters in Boston," Chase replied, matching her flirtatious tone.

Sophie laughed. "Last time I checked," she quipped.

"So I'll see you the weekend after, then?" Chase asked.

"That depends. Are you gonna be a good boy from now on and stop doing nice things for people?" Sophie teased him.

"I promise to be a complete jerk until then," Chase joked back.

"Good," Sophie replied, grinning broadly.

"Can I call you tonight?" Chase asked her softly.

"I'd love that," Sophie replied, just as softly.

After saying their good- byes, Sophie closed her cell phone and thought for a moment.

She then opened her phone once more and pressed the button for Wilson's number.

TBC...


	26. Chapter 25

**HI EVERYONE!**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :-)** 

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**CHAPTER 25: Please read and comment.**

Later on that evening, Cuddy was putting on her coat and scarf to get ready to leave for home.

She thought about stopping by House's office on the way out to talk to him about Cameron's resignation, but she decided against it, knowing that he was involved in a case.

And she knew that their conversation about Cameron would inevitably lead to a discussion about them, which she had no desire to have in front of his team.

As she grabbed her purse and began to dread walking out into the cold night air to her car, Wilson entered her office.

"Got a minute?" Wilson asked her.

"Sure. What's up?" Cuddy asked him.

Wilson cocked his head to one side as a smirk played about his features, making the dimple in his left cheek more prominent.

"I never realized you were such a sadist," Wilson teased.

"What are you talking about?" Cuddy asked him, narrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

"You're punishing Chase for helping Cameron," Wilson replied. "And I think you're actually enjoying it."

"Chase told YOU what I did?" Cuddy exclaimed in surprise.

"No….my sister told me what you did," Wilson said, placing his hands in the pockets of his lab coat.

Cuddy shook her head, even more confused.

Wilson kept his gaze on her, watching her face change from bewilderment to realization. Her eyes widened and her face wore a look of epiphany.

"SOPHIE'S YOUR SISTER?!" Cuddy stated incredulously.

"House didn't tell you?" Wilson asked, equally surprised.

"HOUSE KNOWS that Sophie's your sister?!" Cuddy asked back, even more shocked.

"I'm guessing he didn't tell you," he said.

Cuddy closed her eyes wearily for a moment. She then slowly walked over to her couch and sank down onto it, still wearing her coat and scarf.

Wilson sat down next to her, knowing that she was holding something back.

"This isn't like you. What's going on?" Wilson asked her.

Cuddy exhaled deeply. She looked at Wilson, knowing that if she didn't tell him the truth, he would find out eventually.

"Last night… House… wasn't with a hooker…" Cuddy began.

Upon hearing this, it was now Wilson's turn to look shocked.

"That was YOU who flushed the toilet?!" Wilson asked.

Cuddy nodded, closing her eyes again and leaned her head back against the couch cushion. Wilson grinned broadly.

"When did this happen?" Wilson asked her eagerly.

"A few days ago," Cuddy replied, still not opening her eyes.

Wilson arched his eyebrow, bewildered at her body language and tone of voice.

"You don't seem happy," Wilson commented. Cuddy opened her eyes and looked at him in a melancholy fashion.

"I am happy. I'm just—" Cuddy began.

"Not happy," Wilson finished for her.

Cuddy briefly looked down at her lap and then back at Wilson again, quickly debating if telling Wilson what she was about to tell him was a smart choice.

"…You can't tell House anything," Cuddy finally said.

Wilson held his hands up in front of him, indicating that he intended on keeping their conversation confidential.

"While House and I were together last night… I was thinking about Chase," Cuddy told him.

At first, Wilson said nothing, merely staring at her. He raised his eyebrows ever so slightly.

"'Thinking' as in… 'fantasizing?'" Wilson asked.

"No!" Cuddy said loudly, startling Wilson in the process.

"Thinking as in 'comparing,'" Cuddy clarified.

"Oh," Wilson said. "Well… that's… normal," he added tentatively.

"It's not like it wasn't good with House… because it was great," Cuddy said.

"REALLY great," Cuddy added admittedly.

The corners of Wilson's lips turned upwards at her admission.

"So then what's the problem?" Wilson asked her.

"A few days ago… when we first got together, I asked him if he wanted to go out for a few drinks or if he just wanted to get right to it," Cuddy mumbled.

"That's a good line. Mind if I steal that?" Wilson quipped, hoping Cuddy would laugh.

But she didn't.

"I'm guessing you didn't go out for drinks," Wilson said gently.

"I guess it's my own fault. I did give him a choice," Cuddy muttered with a shrug.

"But you were hoping he'd take you out for a drink first," Wilson said.

Cuddy nodded in response as Wilson began to finally understand what she was feeling.

"You don't want Chase. You want romance," Wilson declared.

"Is that such a bad thing?" Cuddy asked with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"No," Wilson replied sincerely with a smile.

Cuddy returned his smile as they enjoyed a companionable silence together.

"So are you still gonna make Chase work that shift in NICU?" Wilson asked, hoping that she'd change her mind.

"Yep," Cuddy replied simply.

Wilson sighed in defeat, knowing that Sophie had called him earlier to ask him to try to change Cuddy's mind and that she was going to be disappointed.

"And tell Sophie that it was pretty clever of her to use her older brother to manipulate me," Cuddy said with a grin.

 ---------------------------------------------------------------- 

**A FEW DAYS LATER, SATURDAY EVENING…**

That Saturday, at around 7 PM, Chase was working in the NICU, examining a newborn full- term female infant.

As per standard hospital procedure, due to the fact that the mother had a fever during delivery, Chase had ordered that the baby girl be placed in the NICU on IV antibiotics.

Chase noted the infant's vitals were stable on the chart and left the nursery to sit at the desk in the ante- room of the NICU.

As he leaned his elbow on the desk and rested his face against the palm of his hand, he found his mind drifting off to the conversation he and Sophie had over the phone earlier in the week:

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Chase had asked her in a soft voice.

"NOTHING EXCITING. JUST STUDYING," she had replied, matching his soft tone.

"WHERE ARE YOU?" Chase had asked her, his voice becoming slightly husky.

"IN BED," Sophie had replied demurely.

"WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?" Chase had asked.

"… CAMI AND PANTIES…" Sophie replied, barely above a throaty whisper.

"THAT SOUNDS NICE," Chase had whispered back, feeling his arousal grow at her words.

A tiny smile formed on his lips as he recalled the details of their conversation. He had told her that he had loved the scent of her perfume the last time he saw her. She had gently corrected him, telling him that it wasn't perfume but that it was soap.

And for some reason, this had made him even more aroused.

After that, their conversation had taken a more intimate turn, telling her that he couldn't wait to kiss her again, to take her in his arms again…

To touch her again.

She had hesitated before asking him exactly where he wanted to touch her. He could remember exactly the way her breath had hitched over the phone at his reply.

"How's it going?" a familiar voice said.

Chase opened his eyes, apparently not even aware that they were closed as the voice snapped him out of his lovely haze.

Cuddy was standing in front of him, holding a hot coffee cup in her hand. Her hair was pulled back in a pony- tail and her winter coat was unzipped, revealing that she was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, t- shirt, jeans and a pair of slip on sneakers.

"I don't remember you wearing that to work today," Chase quipped, figuring out that she must have already gone home, changed and had come back to the hospital.

"Looks like a slow night," Cuddy said, peering through the window into the NICU nursery and seeing only one baby in a bassinet in there.

"For now," Chase replied, eyeing the cup of coffee she was holding.

Cuddy handed him the coffee. "I figured this would help keep you awake," she told him.

"…Thank you," he replied, taking the cup from her.

"So are you here in an administrative capacity, or do you just feel guilty about making me work tonight?" Chase asked as he took a sip from the coffee cup.

Cuddy smiled slightly, pulled up a chair and sat down next to him.

"I'm sorry that I punished you and that I made you cancel your date," Cuddy told him sincerely.

Chase put the coffee cup down on the table and smiled back at her.

"I'm sorry that I encouraged Cameron to quit," Chase replied.

"Can I ask you something?" Cuddy asked.

"Sure," Chase replied with a shrug.

"What made you buy those Nasal Strips that night that we were together?" Cuddy asked him.

At first, Chase was a bit surprised by the question, wondering what prompted her to ask him that.

"…I told you. I thought you deserved a good night's sleep," Chase replied.

Cuddy nodded, smiling wistfully.

"Sophie's a lucky girl," Cuddy told him.

Chase tilted his head, now even more curious.

But before he could ask her any more questions, Cuddy stood up from her chair.

"G'night, Chase," Cuddy said as she left the NICU.

 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 

When Cuddy returned home around fifteen minutes later, she wondered if House was still sitting on her couch watching TV.

She had suggested that they had go out to dinner, but he said that he wasn't in the mood to go out.

Wilson was right. She wanted romance.

But she and House had only been together for a few days, and she didn't want to come across as a needy woman.

And she knew that House wasn't the most romantic guy in the world.

As she mused all of this over, she opened her front door to her home and was met with the sound of the song, "Gravity" by John Mayer floating through her home.

"Greg?" she called out.

"In here," House replied from the dining room.

She walked slowly into the dining room and was stunned at what she saw.

Her dining room table was set with two paper plates adjacent to each other, wine glasses, a bottle of Pinot Grigot, boxes of Chinese take- out and chopsticks.

The lights were dimmed and only a single lit candle on the table illuminated the room.

She was so shocked that she couldn't speak.

"I know that a home cooked meal would have been more romantic, but trust me. You don't want me to cook," House said.

"Wilson told you, didn't he?" Cuddy asked him.

"Yep," House said, limping a few steps closer to her without his cane.

She gazed into the beautiful cerulean eyes of the man that had stolen her heart, knowing that this small gesture meant so much.

"I told him not to," Cuddy said softly.

"You know that he can't keep a secret," House said.

"Which means you wanted me to know," he added gruffly, reaching up to touch her cheek and chin with his thumb.

"I didn't want to be the annoying girlfriend this early on in our relationship," Cuddy said, feeling a tingle pass through her at his simple touch.

"You've always annoyed me… and we've always had a relationship," House told her.

"We're just taking the next logical step," he added, his eyes sparkling.

Cuddy smiled as he led her over to her chair at the table.

As House poured her a glass of wine, Cuddy saw that there were two fortune cookies on the table.

She took one of the cookies, tore off plastic wrapper and cracked open the cookie to read her fortune:

"YOU ARE ABOUT TO EMBARK ON A DELIGHTFUL JOURNEY."

"So what does it say?" House asked her.

Cuddy felt a wonderful warm sensation pass through her as she took the fortune and put it in the pocket of her jeans.

Just had Chase had always done with his fortunes since he was a child.

"I can't tell you that. It won't come true," Cuddy replied. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

At around midnight, Chase got off the elevator on the first floor after finishing his fifteen hour shift in the NICU that night. He was still wearing his scrubs and his leather coat.

He began to rake his fingers through his hair.

But he stopped suddenly when he saw Sophie in the lobby waiting for him.

She was wearing her winter coat, jeans and sneakers. Her long, wavy hair was down about her shoulders.

And she had the most beautiful smile on her face.

"…Hi!" Chase managed to say, frozen in his tracks, completely surprised to see her.

"Hi," Sophie replied sweetly, walking up to him.

"…I thought we were going to get together next weekend," Chase stammered as she closed the distance between them.

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as his eyes traced over her lovely features and the blush that had formed on her cheeks from the cold.

She opened her backpack purse and produced a DVD copy of 'The Lady Vanishes' by Alfred Hitchcock.

She gazed back up at him, getting lost in his sparkling blue- green eyes.

"I didn't feel like waiting," she replied, still smiling.

TBC...


	27. Chapter 26

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Around twenty minutes later, Chase opened the door to his apartment, allowing Sophie to enter ahead of him.

As she walked through the foyer and unzipped her winter coat, he closed the door behind her.

"I like your place," Sophie commented as she looked around.

Chase glanced at the sparse layout of his living room and chuckled.

"That's a first," Chase remarked in amusement. "There's really not much to it," he said, taking her jacket from her.

The walls were painted a neutral color and the floors were hardwood. There was a brown fabric couch that looked decidedly comfortable and worn in. Next to it was a dark wooden end table and a vintage lamp. There was a coordinating coffee table in front of the couch with a patterned throw rug underneath it.

The couch was facing a flat screen TV that was mounted onto the opposite wall and a small wooden cabinet underneath it, complete with his cable box, DVD player and his Xbox game console inside it.

The walls were various rugby posters and Chase's degrees from Melbourne University, except for one wall, which was completely taken up by a large bookcase that went from the floor to the ceiling, filled with assorted books, magazines, DVDs, CDs and video games.  

"It's cozy," Sophie replied.

"And it's usually not this neat," Chase added, thinking that the last time Cameron was over, she had taken it upon herself to straighten up his place.

Sophie smirked. "It's a good thing you're not in advertising," she joked.

Chase laughed as he hung both their coats up in his hall closet.

"Would you like a drink or something?" he asked her.

Sophie nodded. "I'd love one."

"Make yourself at home. I'll see what I have in the fridge," Chase said.

Sophie walked over to the bookcase to peruse what was on Chase's shelves as Chase went into his kitchen.

He opened the fridge and saw a bottle of White Zinfandel that he had purchased a few weeks ago before he had gone on the conference.

He remembered that he had originally purchased it for Cameron, because she had always liked to wind down with a glass of wine after a long day at work.

But Chase didn't see any reason why a good bottle of wine should go to waste, even if he had bought it for his ex.

"How about a glass of wine?" Chase called out.

"That sounds good," Sophie replied from the living room, as she continued to look through Chase's bookshelves.

He found a corkscrew in his silverware drawer and popped out the cork. He then opened the cabinets above his stove, took out two wine glasses and filled each of them halfway.

When he returned to the living room, he saw Sophie browsing through the bookshelves at his DVD collection.

"'The Notebook,'…'The Bridges of Madison County,'… and 'How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days,'" Sophie commented, touching the DVD cases with her fingertip as she read the titles that were mixed in with various action, suspense and horror flicks on the shelf.

Chase froze momentarily, remembering that those were Cameron's movies that she had brought over a long time ago, when she had complained that he didn't have enough romantic movies to choose from.

"Either you read a manual on ways to pick up chicks or you really like these movies," Sophie said coyly.

Chase wore a lopsided grin, somewhat thankful that she hadn't figured out that they could have been his ex- girlfriends movies.

"Which answer would make me look better?" Chase asked playfully as he handed her one of the glasses of wine.

"The first one," Sophie replied, matching his playful tone as she took the glass from him.

"Then it's the first one," Chase stated.

Sophie giggled as she took a sip of her wine.

Chase took a sip from his own glass as he gazed at her, admiring how the v- neck of her fitted black merino wool sweater attractively accented the lines of her neck, her cleavage, the curves of her breast and her supple waist.

He then suddenly remembered that he was still wearing his scrubs from the hospital.

"Would you mind if I changed?" Chase asked her.

"Not at all," Sophie replied, taking his glass from him.

Chase leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. Sophie closed her eyes blissfully at the touch of Chase's mouth against hers.

"Don't go away," he whispered, nuzzling her nose with his.

"Wasn't planning on it," Sophie whispered back, her lips forming a soft smile.

Chase then went into his bedroom and began to take off his scrubs, tossing them in the corner of his room.

"So tell me what 'The Lady Vanishes' is about," Chase called from the bedroom.

"Well if I tell you what it's about, there's no reason to watch it," Sophie teased back with a grin, as she took the movie out of the DVD case and put it in Chase's DVD player.

Chase laughed from his bedroom. "No spoilers, huh?" Chase asked.

"Nope," Sophie replied, sitting back down on Chase's couch and crossing her legs.

Chase then came out of his bedroom, wearing a pair of dark worn in jeans, a faded army green t- shirt and a pair of socks. Sophie gave him back his wine glass as he sat down next to her on the couch on her left side.

"Thank you," he said with a smile and picked up his remote. He took another sip from the glass and placed it back on the coffee table.

He then put his right arm around her, pulling her slowly closer to him. She then put her own wine glass down and rested her head against his chest as if she had done it a million times.

"Are you comfortable?" Chase murmured softly as he held her.

"Yes," she murmured back, losing herself in his scent.

Chase pressed the 'play' button on the remote to start the DVD.

Out of nowhere, Sophie shivered in Chase's arms, making Chase jump slightly.

"Ooh. I'm sorry," she said with a slight laugh.

"Are you cold?" Chase asked her, rubbing her tricep and shoulder.

"A little," Sophie admitted.

"I'm sorry. I don't keep the heat that high," Chase told her.

"That's all right," Sophie said.

"I have an idea," Chase said.

Chase rubbed her arm once more before getting off the couch. He headed to the hall closet and retrieved a patterned quilt that he had purchased at 'Bed Bath and Beyond' a few months ago.

He then sat back down next to her on the couch and draped the quilt over both of them. Underneath the quilt, he pulled her closer to him once more.

As Chase's arms wrapped around her again, Sophie felt a wonderful tingle go through her. Somehow their closeness felt even more intimate underneath the blanket.

"Is that better?" Chase asked her softly, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear.

"Mmm hmm," Sophie replied, feeling the tingle become stronger inside her.

They watched the first few minutes of the movie in silence.

But neither of them could concentrate on it.

Chase's heart was thumping in his ears at how close Sophie was to him.

Chase could feel the bulge in his pants begin to grow as he slowly moved his hand down from Sophie's arm to her hip. Feeling bold, he delicately picked up the hem of her sweater and began to caress the soft skin on her waist, just above the low- rise hem of her jeans.

He felt Sophie's breath catch slightly at his touch.

"That feels nice," Sophie said, barely above a whisper.

She leaned even closer to him and tentatively touched the inside of his right thigh over his jeans with her left hand.

He shuddered as his erection began to strain against the front of his jeans.

"That feels nice, too," Chase replied, matching her soft tone.

Chase brushes his lips against her forehead a few times. Sophie turned away from the TV and towards him, as his lips trailed down from her forehead, to her cheek, and finally to her lips.

"I don't think we're watching this movie," Chase murmured against her mouth.

"That's ok. I've seen it a hundred times," Sophie replied as they kissed.

"Good," Chase said.

He wrapped both his arms around her as he brushed his lips against hers, gently at first, then more insistently.

Their kiss soon became passionate as their tongues explored wantonly.

Sophie moaned into Chase's mouth, kissing him more forcefully.

She reached for the hem of his t- shirt and began to pull it up, exposing his stomach and chest. She managed to peel it off over his head without pulling away from his lips.

Chase pulled back, breaking off their kiss. He could see that her lips were swollen from their kisses.

She then moved forward to kiss him again, her hand stroking the front of his pants, causing Chase to gasp.

"Wait wait wait. Slow down," Chase told her gently, pulling her hand back.

Sophie opened her eyes, surprised that he had stopped her. He was gazing at her tenderly.

"What's the hurry?" Chase told her with a sweet smile.

Sophie's lips parted slightly as an uncomfortable chill ran through her. She took her hands off his shirt as a flush of embarrassment formed on her cheeks.

"I- I'm sorry," Sophie stammered. "I just want to be with you,"

"I want to be with you, too," Chase said sincerely, caressing her cheek with his thumb.

"But we don't have to rush it," he said.

Sophie let out a short laugh and put her hands in her lap. Chase kept his arm around her as she looked down at her hands, the blush on her face deepening.

"You must think I'm a real slut," Sophie muttered.

Chase's eyes almost popped out of his head at her statement.

"I don't think that at all!" Chase declared in shock. "Why would you say such a thing?"

Sophie sighed in exasperation and lolled her head back against the couch cushion.

"Robert, I gave you my phone number after meeting you for only ten minutes," Sophie said, still embarrassed.

"I was very flattered when you did that," Chase said, still stroking her soft cheek.

"I… had… phone sex with you a few days ago…" Sophie continued, shaking her head, not able to look at him.

Chase tilted her chin up to meet his gaze.

"You didn't like it?" Chase asked her. "Because I loved it."

The corners of Sophie's lips turned up slightly. "I loved it, too," she said. "It's just…"

Chase waited for her to finish her thought, his eyes never leaving her face.

"I've never been so forward with a guy. I've never hopped on a plane on a whim and shown up at someone's workplace just because I couldn't wait seven extra days to see them," she said.

"And that's probably one of the nicest compliments that anyone's ever given me," Chase told her in earnest.

Sophie felt the uncomfortable chill leave her body as it was replaced with an incredible warmth at his admission.

"I just know that you're leaving tomorrow morning…" Chase began, drowning in her deep brown eyes.

"… And I just want tonight to last as long as possible," he said.

"I want this to last as long as possible, too," Sophie agreed.

"And I just don't mean tonight," she added.

"Neither do I," Chase told her.

Chase cupped her face with both of his hands and kissed her again, his soft supple lips engulfing hers.

"What time does your brother expect you home tonight?" Chase whispered against her mouth.

"He doesn't," Sophie replied breathlessly.

TBC...


	28. Chapter 27

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!!**

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**CHAPTER 27: Please read and comment.**

Chase wrapped his arms around her back, holding her close as he eased her body down onto the couch. Sophie wrapped her arms about his neck as Chase nestled down against her.

She couldn't get over how he kissed her. His lips were soft, searching, gentle.

Chase pulled Sophie's leg over his hip as he eased both their bodies so they were laying on their sides.

She gasped into his mouth as he presses his erection against her over her jeans.

Sophie ran her hands over Chase's smooth, bare back.

Chase groaned at the contact.

His hands traveled up the back of her shirt, feeling the brocade of lace on the back of her bra strap. He slipped his hand underneath it. Sophie slowly let her hands travel up his back to his neck, her fingers lacing through his hair.

"You know how long I've been wanting to play with your hair?" Sophie murmured, moving her lips near his ear.

"Play all you want," Chase whispered back with a grin.

He trailed kisses down her neck, tasting the lovely scent of the lilac soap she had used that morning.

Sophie continued to gently rake her fingers through his hair, encouraging his gentle kisses.

His lips reached the narrow valley between the curves of her breasts. He then teased her by cupping just underneath her breast with one hand as he kissed, every so often squeezing the bottom curve very gently, just to hear her gasp again.

And she did.

He could feel her breathing become shallow against his body as his other hand moved to the small of her back, his fingers dipping ever so slightly underneath the back of her jeans.

He grinned again when he felt how low her panties came down on her hips.

"Oh god…" Sophie moaned.

Chase reached for the hem of her sweater and lifted it up slightly, exposing her toned abdomen. He slid his body down to kiss her there.

He murmured softly as his lips and tongue brushed over her belly, thoroughly enjoying the way she tasted and the feeling of her fingers lacing through his hair.

His lips ventured upwards towards the top of her stomach, lifting her sweater up ever so slightly as he did so.

He loved that Sophie shuddered as his touch and kisses.

"I love it when you touch me," Sophie said, as if reading his mind.

Chase needed no further invitation.

He placed his hands on her sides, encouraging her to sit up slightly.

He then removed her v- neck sweater and tossed it on the floor.

"Oh god…" Chase practically blurted out when he saw what she was wearing.

She had on a deep burgundy colored demi- cup plunge bra. Lace covered the demi- cups and it sexily revealed her ample cleavage and the tantalizing curves of her voluptuous breasts.

Chase felt his c*ck twitch at the sight of her breasts in the bra.

Chase slipped his hand underneath the strap and kissed her shoulder.

"Do your panties match?" he breathed against her ear as he trailed his fingers from her collarbone back to her breast, slipping the bra strap slightly off her shoulder.

Sophie's breath caught at the question and at his touch.

"Yes," she breathed.

Chase ran his thumb over her incredibly hardened nipple over the fabric. She inhaled sharply, arching her body towards his thumb.

"Can I see?" Chase pleaded softly.

Sophie nodded again, eagerly.

He undid the button and zipper of her jeans and pulled them down slowly past her hips and thighs.

She was wearing matching wine colored low cut string panties, trimmed with lace.

But what caught his attention and almost made his c*ck burst out of his jeans was the matching burgundy garter belt and black sheer thigh- high stockings she was wearing as well.

"Oh… my…" Chase stammered as his eyes traced over her shapely legs.

"I take it you like what I bought to wear on our date?" Sophie said to him, sexily, feeling the intensity rise within her at the way his blue- green eyes raked over her body.

He traced over the front of her panties with his fingers, making her eyes flutter closed.

"You bought this for me?" Chase asked breathlessly, now lightly tracing the inner curve of her thigh over the stocking, his fingertips feeling the texture of the lace and then the skin on her upper thigh.

Sophie bit her lip and nodded.

Somehow, his c*ck managed to get even harder upon hearing this.

His breaths began to come out in ragged gasps as he devoured her neck.

He palmed her ass and thrust his pelvis against her panty- clad core, causing her to squeal in pleasure.

He wanted all of her.

He wanted to bury himself deep inside her.

He wanted her to scream out his name.

She helped Chase off with his jeans.

He buried his face in between her breasts as he possessively grabbed her thigh.

He unhooked the back of her bra, peeling it off her body, revealing her perky, round breasts and rose- pink nipples.

He greedily engulfed her nipple in his mouth, causing her to cry out and rock her pelvis against him as he suckled her.

She could feeling the intensity continue build up between her legs as his erection pressed up against her.

"Sophie…" Chase breathed into her neck.

"…Yes…" Sophie managed to reply.

"Are you my girl?" Chase asked her.

Sophie pulled away ever so slightly, truly taken aback at his question.

He gazed deeply into her soft brown eyes, which were dancing with passion.

He touched her face gently.

"Tell me baby… are you my girl?" Chase asked again, his voice full of emotion.

"Yes…" Sophie answered, completely overwhelmed.

Chase pressed against her again. She arched her back off the couch as his shaft pressed against her.

"Tell me, sweetheart…" Chase said.

"I'm your girl, Robbie…" Sophie said.

Chase's heart swelled upon hearing what she had called him.

Together, they removed his boxers and peeled off her panties as if they were long- time lovers.

He left her garter and stockings on.

Chase had always had a fantasy to feel a woman's legs wrapped around him clad in thigh- high stockings.

He dipped his fingers underneath into her tight, moist center, causing her to whimper in extreme pleasure.

He reveled in how wet she was for him.

He could feel her begin to contract against his fingers.

"I want you so much," Chase said, watching her face as sexy little cries escaped her lips as he pleasured her.

Sophie's eyes darted to her purse on the coffee table.

"Condoms…" Sophie managed to say.

Chase nodded. He ceased pleasuring her under protest and grabbed her purse. He opened it quickly, finding a new three- pack of condoms in it.

He tore open the package and sheathed himself.

Sophie caressed his chest and smiled lovingly at him, trying to catch her breath.

He entered her, groaning at how wonderfully tight and wet she felt around him.

He thrust into her in deeply, slowly, deliberately, never taking his gaze off her face.

She tightened her thighs around him, arching back at every thrust, moaning in pleasure in time.

He bit his lower lip hard, holding back what he felt was going to be an incredible explosion, wanting so desperately for her to come first.

He didn't have to wait long.


	29. Chapter 28

**HI EVERYONE!**

**SORRY I TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE. RL HAS BEEN HECTIC.**

**DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE'S AROUND (IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE DAY HERE IN THE STATES)...**

**BUT HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!  
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**CHAPTER 28: Please read and comment.**

After making love on Chase's couch, Sophie was lying on top of Chase, her breathing still shallow.

Chase had pulled the blanket over their naked bodies to keep them warm.

As their breathing relaxed, Sophie lay her head against Chase's chest as he wrapped his arms around her back, his fingers idly raking through her long wavy hair as he nuzzled his nose against it.

They lay their in silence together for a while, enjoying the afterglow and the feel of their bodies against each other.

"You have a heart murmur," Sophie said, breaking their silence in a tone barely above a whisper, her ear against his chest.

Chase smiled slightly.

"Very good," he said. "I'm impressed you can hear it."

Sophie looked up at Chase with concern in her eyes.

"Is it serious?" she asked him, the worry evident in her voice.

"No," he assured her as he brushed a stray piece of hair out of her eyes. "It's just an innocent murmur. I've had it since I was a child."

"Is it systolic or diastolic?" Sophie asked him, her concern growing on her face.

"It's NOTHING," Chase reassured her, caressing her cheek. "Stop trying to diagnose me," he added gently.

Sophie chuckled. "My friends tell me the same thing," she admitted. "I guess its annoying."

Chase gazed into her eyes contemplatively and then brushed his lips lightly against hers.

"No it's not," he said.

Sophie caressed his chest with her fingertips as she watched Chase's face, knowing he was trying to search for the right words to say next. He opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again.

"...I guess..." Chase began, and then paused once more.

Sophie waited patiently for him to say what was on his mind.

"...It's just been a while since anyone's really cared about me," he finally said.

Sophie nodded in understanding and kissed him.

"Well then you'd better get used to it," she said, before nestling back down on his chest.

Chase grinned as she got comfortable once more, tangling his legs in hers.

"So tell me more about Melbourne," Sophie said.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning at around seven am, Sophie awoke with a smile as Chase tenderly kissed the back of her neck.

He was spooned up behind her on the couch, the quilt that he had purchased at Bed Bath & Beyond wrapped around their naked bodies like a cocoon.

They had never made it to the bed.

They had been up for a good part of the night, making love and talking intimately on Chase's couch about his childhood.

"What time is your flight back to Boston?" Chase murmured against her skin.

"Eleven," Sophie replied sweetly as he wrapped his arms around her naked frame underneath the blanket, his legs intertwining in hers.

"That gives us four hours," Chase said suggestively, glancing at the clock.

"I need to be at the airport an hour before my flight," Sophie reminded him gently.

"Three hours, then," Chase said, cupping her breast from behind.

"And I promised… Jimmy that I'd say good- bye to him... before I left… and I should really shower," Sophie said haltingly, feeling her nipple pucker at his touch.

"Ok, two hours and forty- five minutes at the most," Chase insisted.

Sophie laughed in response and turned around to face him, pressing her body close to his.

"I'm so glad I stalked you this weekend," she joked.

"You didn't stalk me," he chided lovingly. "You came to visit your boyfriend."

Sophie smiled happily.

"Boyfriend, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah," Chase replied, matching her smile with one of his own.

They kissed softly as his hands raked through her long, dark wavy hair.

"You know… considering that you're my boyfriend, I find it odd that we haven't had a first date yet," Sophie teased him between kisses.

Chase broke off their kiss, a mischievous smile forming on his features.

"Whaddya say we go on it now?" Chase asked her.

Sophie arched her eyebrow, thoroughly intrigued.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked him. 

------------------------------------------------------------ 

Around a half- hour later, Chase and Sophie were sitting next to each other at a small, round table at the Princeton University Campus coffee shop.

She had thrown on her jeans and sweater from the night before, borrowed a new toothbrush from Chase and had styled her hair with some of his hair product to make herself look presentable in public.

But in turn, she refused to let Chase take a shower, teasing him that it wouldn't be fair, since she hadn't showered either.

"You know, we could have showered together," Chase said coyly.

Sophie caressed the two- day growth of dark blonde scruff that had formed on his cheek.

"No way," she insisted with a grin, gazing into his eyes.

"You're a stubborn little girl, aren't you?" Chase said, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"And you like it," she replied in a sultry manner.

Chase nodded eagerly, eliciting a chuckle from her.

He brushed his lips against her once before sitting back in his chair to sip his coffee, watching her as she did the same.

His eyes then absentmindedly drifted to the front door of the coffee shop.

"So should I have Jimmy take me to the airport, or do you want to?" Sophie asked him.

But Chase didn't answer her.

His eyes were frozen at the woman who had just entered the coffee shop.

She was wearing a fitted, short tan wool coat, a crimson scarf, jeans and high- heeled boots.

As usual, her long blonde hair cascaded about her shoulders.

Chase swallowed the small amount of coffee still in his mouth, a short breath escaping his lips, still staring, frozen at the woman.

Cameron had apparently seen him and Sophie as well, because she began to walk over to their table.

"Hi Chase," Cameron said casually, upon reaching their table.

Sophie, whose back had been facing the door, turned around upon hearing Chase's name.

She looked up at Cameron, who was wearing a confused expression on her face.

Sophie looked back at Chase, who was visibly uncomfortable.

"…Hi…" Chase finally said to her.

At that moment, Sophie knew that the lovely blonde woman standing before them was Chase's ex- girlfriend.

"I'm Allison," Cameron said, extending her hand to Sophie with a somewhat friendly smile.

Sophie paused for only a second before shaking her hand in return.

"I'm Sophie. It's nice to meet you," Sophie replied kindly.

Cameron nodded, her tight, small smile remaining.

"I'm actually glad I caught you," Cameron said, turning her attention to Chase. "I need to come by later to get my stuff. Will you be around this afternoon?" she asked matter- of – factly.

Chase nodded, the awkwardness of the situation enveloping his entire being.

He darted a look at Sophie, who was looking down slightly at her hands in her lap.

"… Sure… come by whenever you want," he said.

Cameron nodded one more time, the uncomfortable silence engulfing them again.

Sophie looked up from her lap and smiled at Chase.

"Did you want something to eat?" she asked him. "Those chocolate cinnamon swirls in the case look good."

"Uh… sure," Chase replied, turning around, trying to get one of the wait staff's attention.

Sophie put her hand on his on top of the table, causing him to look back at her.

"I'll get it," she told him, her eyes penetrating his.

Chase smiled gratefully at Sophie, knowing that she understood that he and Cameron needed a few moments together.

Without another word, Sophie got up out of her chair and got on the line forming at the counter.

Cameron watched her excuse herself gracefully and remained standing at the table.

Chase couldn't help but laugh.

"I don't think she'll mind if you sit down," Chase said knowingly.

Cameron chuckled and sat down next to Chase in Sophie's seat.

Neither of them said anything for a few moments.

"So…" Cameron began.

"So…" Chase replied, nodding.

"… How long have you two been together?" Cameron finally asked.

Chase smiled. "This is our first date," he replied.

Cameron scrunched up her face in confusion.

"You made a date for seven- thirty in the morning—" she began.

At this, Chase's smile became sheepish.

"… oh…" Cameron said, realization hitting her, a slight blush of embarrassment forming on her cheeks.

Another silence passed before Cameron continued.

"When did you meet her?" Cameron asked.

Chase took a breath and exhaled, dreading what he was about to tell her.

"At the conference," Chase admitted.

Cameron blinked twice in complete surprise.

"The… conference in BOSTON?" Cameron asked, knowing full well that he had slept with Cuddy at the same conference.

"… Yeah…" Chase said, bracing himself for an angry tirade or a slap in the face.

Or both.

But instead of doing either of those things, Cameron merely smirked.

"That must have been some week for you," she quipped.

Chase's eyes widened at her response.

And he laughed again.

"It sure was," he said.

"Are you happy?" Cameron asked him sincerely.

"Very," Chase replied with a wonderful smile.

"That's good to hear," Cameron said, returning his smile.

"…Well, I should get on line, I guess," Cameron said. "I've still got a lot to do before the move to Manhattan—"

Chase interrupted her by placing her hand on his on the table.

"Are you sure you're ok with this?" Chase asked her.

Cameron smiled softly, still amazed at Chase's uncanny ability to read her so well.

"I will be," she said truthfully.

Cameron got up from their table and got on the line to buy her coffee.

Sophie then returned to her and Chase's table, placing one of two chocolate cinnamon swirl pastries in front of him as she sat down in her chair once more.

"Thank you," Chase said to her.

Sophie smiled. "Is everything all right?" she asked him with concern.

Chase glanced at Cameron, who was standing on the line, noticing that her posture seemed to be straighter than usual.

He then turned back to Sophie, smiling warmly at her.

"It will be," Chase told her.

TBC…


	30. Chapter 29

**HI EVERYONE!!**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**WE ARE MAKING A TIME JUMP TO ONE MONTH LATER.**

**HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY!!**

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**CHAPTER 29-- PLEASE READ AND COMMENT.**

**CHRISTMAS MORNING… ONE MONTH LATER.**

House opened his eyes and glanced at Cuddys alarm clock on the night- stand, which read 8 AM.

Remembering that it was Christmas morning and that he didn't have to go into work today because he was sleeping with the boss, he reached over for Cuddy, hoping to feel some naughty part of her warm, zesty body.

But her side of the bed was cold and empty.

He sighed in exasperation, sat up and rubbed his leg, purely out of habit.

For the last month or so, since he and Cuddy had been together, it seemed to be hurting less than usual.

He reached for his bottle of Vicodin on the night- stand and put one pill on his mouth instead of two.

Not wanting to get out of bed just yet, he reached for the remote.

But before he was able to turn on the TV, his ears perked up at the sound of Cuddy singing from somewhere downstairs in a beautiful, throaty alto tone:

"I CLOSE MY EYES AT NIGHT… WONDERING WHERE WOULD I BE WITHOUT YOU IN MY LIFE,"

House smirked, pulled himself out of the bed, grabbed his nearby cane, and began to limp down the hallway towards the kitchen, following the sound of her singing.

"EVERYTHING I DID WAS JUST A BORE… EVERYWHERE I WENT IT SEEMS I'D BEEN THERE BEFORE,"

Once he reached the doorway of Cuddy's kitchen, his smirk broadened considerably when he saw her.

She was wearing a soft deep red robe around her curvaceous yet slender frame and white ankle socks covered her feet. She was extremely busy as she puttered around the kitchen, getting ready for the Christmas brunch she had planned for the day.

A multitude of delicious smells flooded House's nostrils upon reaching the doorway, including fresh brewed coffee, and various treats that Cuddy had been preparing over the last couple of days.

Unaware that House was watching her, Cuddy continued singing as she sashayed around her kitchen, swaying her hips to the beat of her own tune.

"BUT YOU BRIGHTEN UP FOR ME ALL OF MY DAYS... WITH A LOVE SO SWEET IN SO MANY WAYS."

Just then, Cuddy stopped in her tracks in the middle of the kitchen, placed one hand on her hip and held one hand out in front of her, her arm straight out.

"I WANT TO STOP," she sang.

House pursed his lips together as hard as he could to prevent himself from laughing out loud.

"AND THANK YOU BABY I JUST WANT TO STOP. AND THANK YOU BABY," Cuddy continued, leaning all her weight on her right side and bobbing her hip up and down in an exaggerated motion.

House covered his mouth with his hand, cursing himself for not having his cell phone handy so he could take a picture and use it as blackmail at a later date.

"HOW SWEET IT IS TO BE LOVED BY YOU," Cuddy finished with a flourish.

House then realized that he honestly had no desire to use this moment against Cuddy.

"Do you take requests?" he asked her.

Cuddy spun around quickly and saw House leaning against the doorway. House expected her to turn a deep shade of red at being caught.

But instead, she smiled an incredibly sexy smile.

"Depends what they are," Cuddy replied, padding over to him.

House wrapped his arms around her lower back and pulled her against his body.

"Do you happen to know, 'Don't You Wish Your Girlfriend Was A Freak Like Me?'" House asked in a deadpanned voice as his eyes traced over her beautiful face.

"I left the lyrics in my other pants," Cuddy quipped.

House then slipped his hand underneath the soft, red robe she was wearing, past the lacy fabric of her red thong and over her incredibly supple a$$.

"You aren't wearing any pants," House pointed out.

"Can't put anything past you, can I?" Cuddy said with a grin.

He pressed his lips against her, his tongue gently begging for entry. She eagerly complied, softly whimpering into his mouth as they kissed.

Keeping one hand on her a$$, he took his other hand and began to unties the sash of the robe slowly. He let the sash fall to the floor, allowing the robe to part slightly, revealing the inner curves of her breasts and her toned belly.

"It's dangerous to cook naked, you know," Cuddy pointed out as House began to trail his lips down her neck.

"Be quiet. I'm busy," House murmured against her neck

"Wilson, Sophie and Chase are coming over in three hours. I still have a lot more to prepare—" Cuddy began, finding it increasingly difficult to keep her eyes open and ignore the building intensity between her legs at his kisses.

"Why did you even invite them over?" House asked her, his lips finding her collarbone.

Cuddy backed up slightly, staring at him as if he was insane.

"It's Christmas Day!" she told him.

"And you're JEWISH," House reminded her, staring back at her.

"That doesn't mean I can't enjoy the holiday," Cuddy argued.

"That's EXACTLY what it means," House replied.

Cuddy laughed and pulled out of his embrace, retying her robe.

She went over to the fridge and opened the door to check on the egg nog that she had prepared from a recipe that she had found on the internet. Except for the egg nog and a few hors d'ouvers that she had prepared on her own, she had decided to cater the rest of the brunch.

"How do I know when it's ready?" Cuddy asked worriedly.

"If it gets you drunk, it's ready," House replied, enjoying how out of her element she seemed to be at the moment.

"In fact, sixty percent of the people coming over today are Jewish," House pointed out as he sat down at the kitchen table.

"Why are you complaining? They'll be plenty of food, plenty of alcohol and plenty of leftovers," Cuddy told him, checking inside the oven on the stuffed mushrooms she had prepared.

"Did you ever think that I wanted to be alone with you today?" House asked her.

"Yeah, I'm sure you had a real romantic day planned for us," Cuddy snarked back in a sarcastic manner.

House tilted his head slightly with a bemused expression on his face.

He then reached over to the chair adjacent to him for his backpack, which was resting on it.

He opened the backpack and pulled out a package, wrapped in gold foil.

He then got up from the table and limped over to Cuddy, reached around and held the present in front of her from behind.

Cuddy's eyes widened slightly in surprise at the package that he was holding out to her, staring at it for a few seconds.

She took the package from him and turned around slowly.

She looked up at him, into his beautiful blue eyes, which seemed to be brighter than usual.

"I thought I wasn't allowed to enjoy the holiday on account of my religious beliefs," she said coyly with a smirk.

"Happy Hanukkah," House told her sarcastically without missing a beat.

Cuddy laughed out loud and tore the wrapping off the package.

And then she stopped laughing.

In her hands was a hardcover copy of "Outlander," by Diana Gabaldon.

She had been wanting to read that book ever since it had first come out, but because of her career commitments, she had never had the time.

"…H-how did you know—" Cuddy began to stammer.

"I know you like romance," House said simply.

Cuddy stared at him, completely taken aback by his present.

"And Wilson told me that you wanted to read it," House added.

Cuddy stood on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his, her palm gently caressing the scruff on his face.

"Thank you," Cuddy said with a soft smile.

"You know… if you REALLY wanna thank me, I know a few ways that I'd be happy to describe to you in great detail," House said.

Cuddy grinned.

"I think it's time I showed you your present," she said.

Cuddy then left the kitchen, leaving House standing there alone.

He opened the door to the oven, contemplating whether it was worth burning his tongue to steal a stuffed mushroom.

Once he decided that it wasn't, he closed the oven door and headed to the fridge. He peeled the plastic wrap off the egg nog bowl, stuck his finger inside it and took a taste. The sweetness of the mixture, the spice of nutmeg, plus the generous amounts of Bourbon and Brandy that Cuddy had added lingered on his tongue.

"EGGNOG'S READY!" House called out to her as he sucked his finger.

Cuddy then returned to the kitchen, holding a rectangular box wrapped in red and green wrapping paper.

"Please tell me you used the ladle and not your finger," Cuddy said in exasperation.

"Ok. I used the ladle," House lied, having no idea where the ladle was.

Cuddy snorted and gave him the box.

House arched his eyebrow and tore off the wrapping, revealing a plain white box underneath.

He limped back to the table, placed the box on the table top and took off the cover.

Upon peeling back the tissue paper, both of his eyebrows shot upwards.

Inside the box was an extremely short plaid skirt, reminiscent of a Catholic school girl uniform, a tiny white midriff top with capped sleeves and a plunging v- neck, white knee high socks, and very high- heeled Mary Janes.

"Look underneath the skirt," Cuddy said, seeing that House was speechless.

House quickly lifted up the skirt and lifted up a pair of bikini cut panties with ruffles on the back.

"You like?" Cuddy asked him, slipping her arm around his waist.

"I don't think this is gonna fit me," House said, feeling his erection tent his pajama pants.

Cuddy leaned over to his ear and brushed her lips softly against it.

"It fits me perfectly," she purred into his ear.

House turned his head with an expression of extreme intrigue on his face.

She then walked away from him and back to the counter.

House continued to stare at the outfit in the box.

He then spun around and saw that she was back at the counter, calmly preparing a plate of raw vegetables and crackers with homemade dip.

"This is EXACTLY why I didn't want you to invite anyone over today!" House exclaimed.

"Looks like you'll have something to look forward to tonight, then," Cuddy replied without turning around to face him, her own cheeks beginning to hurt from her smile.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

A little over an hour later, Chase was waiting at the entrance to the shuttle terminal at Newark airport.

The airport was bustling with activity, packed with holiday travelers who were either arriving or departing to various destinations.

He glanced at his watch and then over at the big board mounted on the wall, which was completely filled with various arriving flights. According to the information on the board, Sophie's shuttle from Boston had already landed ten minutes ago.

But the throngs of people packed wall to wall made it difficult for Chase to find her in the crowd.

He then suddenly felt a pair of arms go around his waist, making him jump slightly.

"Waiting for someone special?" a sweet, familiar voice said.

Chase quickly turned his head and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Sophie was standing behind him with her carry- on bag slung over her shoulder. Sophie laughed in response.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," she said, smiling.

Chase turned around and pulled her closer, engulfing her lips in a long, lingering kiss.

Sophie could actually feel her knees go weak from underneath her as he kissed her.

"Wow…" Sophie breathed after their kiss had ended.

"How was your flight?" Chase murmured against her lips, holding her tighter.

"Great," she managed to say.

He continued to kiss her in the middle of the terminal, completely ignoring the multitudes of annoyed people pushing past them.

"We should probably go," Sophie said. "Dr. Cuddy's expecting us at her house for brunch."

"I haven't seen you in a month," Chase told her. "I'm not going anywhere just yet."

"I think that some people might get ticked off if you make love to me in this airport," Sophie told him.

Chase then reluctantly broke off their kiss and took her hand to lead her through the airport to baggage claim. ********************************************************************************************** 

As they waited by the baggage carousel, Chase stood behind Sophie, wrapping his arms around her. She rested the back of her head on his chest and smiled happily.

Chase took the opportunity to nuzzle her neck and take in the scent of the soap she had used that morning.

"You changed soaps," Chase murmured against her skin.

"Very good," she replied happily. "It's Jasmine."

"Do you smell like this everywhere?" Chase asked her huskily.

"Mmm hmm," Sophie replied.

"Maybe we should stop at my place first before we go to Cuddy's..." Chase suggested against her cheek.

"If we stop at your place first, we'll NEVER make it to Cuddy's," Sophie pointed out, still smiling.

"Hey, we didn't get to sleep in my bed the last time you were here. We should probably test it out to make sure it works," he quipped.

Sophie chuckled. "I don't think it'll be good for you if you show up late to Cuddy's party."

"C'mon. I'll be quick. You won't feel a thing," Chase coaxed her, kissing her cheek.

"Then what's the point?" Sophie asked teasingly.

Surrounded by wall to wall people, Chase reached down beneath her coat and gave her a$$ a squeeze.

He then began sucking on a sweet spot on her neck that he had been all to happy to discover the last time they were together.

Sophie's eyes fluttered closed at the feeling of his incredibly soft lips and tongue against her neck, feeling her resolve slip away.

"All right. QUICK," Sophie acquiesced.

TBC…


	31. Chapter 30

**HI EVERYONE!  
**

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**AND THERE ARE ONLY TWO MORE CHAPTERS AFTER THIS ONE.**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :-)**

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**CHAPTER 30: PLEASE READ AND COMMENT. **

It was after 11AM when Wilson looked at his watch for the fifth time with a look of worry on his face.

"Where are they?" Wilson muttered.

House, sitting next to Wilson on Cuddy's L- shaped cream colored leather couch, shot him a sidelong glance of annoyance, as he scrolled through the channels on Cuddy's TV.

"Chase and Sophie were supposed to be here a half- hour ago," Wilson said.

"I'm sure they're just stuck in traffic," Kutner assured him from his position on the other end of Cuddy's couch.

"Or each other," House added with a shrug.

Wilson smacked House in the arm, hard, making House recoil in mock pain.

Kutner smirked and bit his lip to keep from laughing and angering his boss.

"What? They haven't seen each other in a month! You don't think that they stopped off at Chase's place for a quickie?" House demanded of Wilson.

"Watch it. That's my baby sister you're talking about," Wilson warned him.

"Right. Which means she's still a virgin," House muttered sarcastically, looking back at the TV.

"In my eyes, she is," Wilson stated.

House snorted and finally settled on leaving the TV on the BBC America network, smiling at the fact that "Blackadder's Christmas Carol" was starting in a half- hour.

"So how much younger is Sophie than you?" Kutner asked Wilson, picking up his plastic cup of eggnog that Cuddy had made that morning and taking a sip from it.

"We're fifteen years apart," Wilson replied.

"And she's in her third year of med school?" Kutner asked.

Wilson nodded as he took a sip of his eggnog from his own cup.

"That's so sweet. She wants to follow in her brother's footsteps," Kutner said.

"I hope not. She'll marry Chase after their third date," House snarked.

Before Wilson had the chance to hit House in the arm for a second time, the doorbell rang.

Cuddy emerged from the kitchen, wearing a pair of jeans, a low scoop neck red t- shirt and red socks.

"That's probably Chase and Sophie," Cuddy said, wiping her hands on a dishtowel that she was carrying as she headed for the door.

"Finally. Now we can eat," House said.

"You've been eating all morning!" Wilson said incredulously.

"Hors d'ouvres don't count," House stated.

Wilson rolled his eyes and left House and Kutner in the living room to go join Cuddy to greet his sister at the door.

Cuddy opened the door with a smile, which quickly changed to a look of immediate concern when she saw Chase and Sophie standing on her front step.

Chase was leaning onto Sophie, his right arm and hand wrapped around her shoulder as Sophie held her arm around Chase's lower back.

The left leg of Chase's jeans were stained a dark red and he was holding his foot slightly off the ground.

Cuddy could see that the palm of Chase's left hand was bleeding.

"What happened?!" Cuddy exclaimed nervously upon seeing them.

"I slipped on the ice outside," Chase muttered in embarrassment.

House, who had decided to venture into the foyer, was completely shocked upon hearing this.

"The queen of 'How can we avoid a lawsuit at Princeton Plainsboro' didn't put rock salt on her own front walk?" House asked in disbelief.

"I cleaned off the steps this morning while your lazy a$$ was still in bed," Cuddy shot back to House as she helped Chase inside.

"We had to park down the street because of all the cars. He didn't fall in front of your place," Sophie assured her, helping Chase off carefully with his jacket.

"Why are you bleeding?" she demanded as she examined his left palm.

"I brought a bottle of red wine for the party," Chase explained. "When I slipped, I landed on my hand and the bottle broke right under it."

"That's a nasty cut," Cuddy said. "We have to see if there's any glass left in your hand."

"And why are you limping?" Wilson asked, staring at Chase's leg.

"He can't put any weight on his left leg," Sophie replied with worry.

"You might have sprained your ankle," Wilson said.

"I probably just twisted it," Chase said dismissively.

"Go sit on the couch," Cuddy told Chase.

"I'll help you," Sophie said with a nod.

Wilson took Sophie and Chase's jackets as Sophie helped Chase into the living room. Kutner stood up when he saw both of them come in to give Chase some room to sit down.

Sophie helped Chase to ease down onto the couch. She took a paper napkin off the coffee table and gave it to Chase to apply pressure to the cut on his hand.

She then took the ottoman that House had been using to prop up his leg and placed it in front of Chase for him to use for his ankle.

"Is this ok? Are you comfortable?" Sophie asked him as she helped him place his leg on the ottoman.

Chase nodded. "I'm fine, sweetie."

"You gave him the stool?" House demanded of Sophie once he made his way back to the living room, taking a detour into the kitchen to steal a stuffed mushroom along the way.

"He twisted his ankle and he's bleeding," Sophie said. "Find something else to put your leg on."

House saw that Chase was wincing in pain.

Extremely curious, House limped over to Chase and lifted the bottom hem of his jeans.

The outside of Chase's ankle was swollen to the size of a tennis ball.

"That's not a twisted ankle," House said.

Chase closed his eyes and lolled his head back on the couch.

"Just great," Chase muttered in disgust.

House took his bottle of Vicodin out of his pocket, opened the top and took out one pill.

"Here," House said to Chase, nudging his shoulder.

Chase opened his eyes and looked at House with widened eyes.

Wilson's eyes were just as wide.

"You're giving him one of your Vicodin?" Wilson said in shock.

"I can spare it," House said casually.

Before Wilson could ask House what was going on with his leg, Sophie spoke up.

"Should we go to the hospital? What if you broke it?" Sophie asked Chase worriedly as she sat down on the couch next to him.

"He'd be in unbearable pain if he broke his ankle. It's just a sprain," House said, shoving Kutner over so he could sit down.

At that moment, Cuddy returned to the living room holding a bag of frozen peas, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, a tube of Bacitracin, a bag of cotton balls, gauze pads and first aid tape.

She sat down next to Chase on his other side and began to examine his hand as Sophie gently placed the bag of frozen peas on Chase's ankle.

"How's that feel?" Sophie asked him.

"Good," Chase replied with a nod

"There's no glass, but it's pretty dirty," Cuddy remarked.

She then began to clean off Chase's wound with hydrogen peroxide. Sophie, still sitting on his other side, placed her hand on his right thigh and rubbed it affectionately.

"I'm sorry," Chase said to her sadly.

"For what? Falling?" Sophie asked in confusion.

Chase looked down into his lap with a sorrowful expression. Sophie furrowed her brow in complete bewilderment.

"I wanted to surprise you. I planned a trip for us at the Hidden Valley club this weekend to go snowboarding," Chase said sadly.

Sophie smiled and kissed Chase's cheek.

Cuddy smiled softly as well as she continued to clean and bandage Chase's hand.

"That was so sweet of you," Sophie said to Chase.

Chase smiled a melancholy smile at her, kissing her lightly on the lips.

"All done," Cuddy said, showing Chase how she had bandaged her hand.

"Thanks, doctor," Chase said with a smirk.

"Let me know if it's too tight or if you feel any tingling or numbness," Cuddy said, getting up from the couch and heading back to the kitchen.

After Cuddy left the room, Wilson exchanged a glance with House before looking back at Chase and Sophie.  "So why were you two so late?" Wilson asked lightly.

Sophie briefly looked at her brother and then back down at Chase's ankle, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Chase smirked ever so slightly as he recalled the details of their little side trip back to his apartment for an extremely intense quickie in his bed before arriving at Cuddy's place.

"There was traffic," Sophie said with a shrug, not taking her eyes off Chase's ankle.

"Where? In Chase's pants?" House asked.

Sophie, Chase and Kutner immediately spun their heads around to stare at House in shock, their eyes all widened tremendously at House's comment.

Wilson merely tilted his head, staring at his sister for an explanation.

"… We weren't THAT late," Sophie said with a sheepish shrug, biting her lip to keep from smiling.

Upon hearing this, Wilson's jaw dropped.

"And what does THAT mean?" Wilson demanded.

Chase pursed his lips together as hard as he could to keep from grinning himself.

"You really don't want an answer to that question, do you?" House asked, the corners of his lips turning up slightly, thoroughly enjoying Wilson's reaction.

Wilson placed his head in his hands and began to rub his forehead in aggravation.

"Present time!" House announced suddenly.

Everyone in the room stared at House in shock as he pushed himself off the couch and limped out of the room.

"He's not serious, is he?" Chase asked Wilson.

"I never know with him," Wilson replied.

A few moments later, House returned with one present wrapped in red wrapping paper with the words 'Happy Holidays' etched in gold script letters.

Kutner frowned in disappointment when House handed the present to Chase.

"Merry Christmas," House said as he held the present out to Chase.

Chase eyed him suspiciously, taking the wrapped package from him with hesitation.

"You bought me a present?" Chase asked him with surprise.

"It's actually for both of you," House replied, jutting his chin at Sophie, sitting down on the arm of the couch.

Chase and Sophie exchanged extremely surprised glances.

"…I… didn't get you anything," Chase stammered, as he began to open the wrapping paper.

"Now Chase, that's not what Christmas is about," House said in a slightly pedantic tone, his eyes dancing with excitement as he watched Chase continue to tear off the wrapping.

Chase stared blankly at what he had revealed underneath the wrapping paper.

It was a leather bound hard cover book with a picture of a man and a woman, completely naked, having sex in a rather interesting and complicated position on a red and black leather piece of furniture that curved upwards at one end.

Kutner got off the couch to take a peek at what House had given them.

"The Book of Kama Sutra Positions," Kutner read off the title of the book that House had given Chase and Sophie for Christmas.

"On the other hand, embarrassing family and friends IS what Christmas is about," House said, trying to keep the glee out of his voice.

"You've got a chair like that in your place, right?" House said to Chase.

Chase covered his mouth with his good hand.

Sophie did the same, trying not to laugh out loud.

Wilson got up from the couch and began to leave the room.

"Ok, now that everyone's here we can eat," Cuddy said, returning to the living room, her expression becoming confused as she watched Wilson breeze past her into the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Cuddy asked him.

"To get more eggnog. A LOT more," Wilson told her flatly as he continued to walk past her.

"What did you do?" Cuddy demanded of House.

House arched his eyebrow and leaned over to Sophie.

"There's GOTTA be a few positions in there that Chase can do with a busted hand and a sprained ankle," House told Sophie in a conspiratorial tone.

Sophie raised her own eyebrow at House.

She then leaned over to Chase.

"Lemme see that book," Sophie said with interest.

TBC…


	32. Chapter 31

**HI EVERYONE!**

**OK, WE'RE ALMOST DONE. ONLY ONE MORE CHAPTER AFTER THIS ONE.**

**HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY IT!  
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**CHAPTER 31: Please read and comment. **

An hour later, House, Cuddy, Chase and Sophie were all sitting on Cuddy's living room couch.

Sophie had only drank a small amount of the Eggnog that Cuddy had made that morning, but she was already beginning to feel a nice little buzz, despite the fact that she had eaten some of the delicious hors d'ouvres that Cuddy had prepared.

Cuddy was well into her second cup and was rather giddy as she leafed through Chase and Sophie's Kama Sutra that House had purchased for them.

House was sitting next to her, looking over her shoulder, popping his fifth tiny sweet and sour meatball into his mouth that Cuddy had made, thinking about how he could possibly perform some of the more ambitious positions depicted without putting too much weight on his leg.

Chase, in the meantime, was an hour into his Vicodin and was sporting a pleasurable hazy smile on his face as he leaned against Sophie's shoulder and idly caressed the inside of her thigh over her jeans.

Sophie put her Eggnog down on the table and smirked when she noticed Chase's expression.

"How's your ankle?" Sophie asked him, taking a peek underneath his pant leg, happy to see that the bag of frozen peas had reduced the swelling.

"Ffffabulousss," Chase said blissfully.

Sophie giggled. "You're a lightweight. You only took one WITH pain."

"Enjoy it while it lasts, cause you're not getting any more. Only room for one addict on this program," House said from his seat next to Cuddy on the other end of the couch, tossing the toothpick from the meatball onto his red plastic plate on the coffee table.

Cuddy was too busy looking through the hardcover copy of the Kama Sutra that House had purchased for Chase and Sophie to participate in the conversation.

"Reminiscing about your romp with Chase at the conference?" House whispered to her in her ear as she looked through the pictures.

The corners of Cuddy's lips turned upwards as she closed the book.

"I WAS looking for ideas for later tonight, but you can forget about it after that remark," Cuddy told him quietly, finishing off the last of her second cup of Eggnog.

House gave her a once over, his blue eyes sparkling as he admired how her red scoop neck t- shirt accented her breasts and how her jeans showed off her legs and hips.

"You'll need a costume change," he reminded her, thinking about the Catholic school- girl outfit that Cuddy had purchased for herself.

"AFTER everyone goes home," Cuddy promised him softly in a sexy tone.

While House, Cuddy, Chase and Sophie were sitting on the couch, Wilson and Kutner were busy setting up Cuddy's kitchen table and chairs in the living room for a poker game that Cuddy had suggested. In addition, they had also set up plastic cups of Eggnog for everyone at the table.

"And what are you doing here?" Chase demanded of Kutner.

Kutner looked up at Chase with a surprised expression on his face.

"I asked him the same question when he showed up," House said.

"I stopped by to give Dr. Cuddy and Dr. House their presents and Dr. Cuddy invited me to stay," Kutner explained with a smile.

"I keep telling you that if you feed him, he'll never leave," House snarked to Cuddy.

"You bought BOTH of them presents?" Chase asked Kutner in surprise.

"Minus the great hair, he's the new you in the a$$ kissing department," House told Chase.

Chase turned down his lower lip and tilted his head.

"Nice move," Chase admitted with a shrug.

"What's wrong with my hair?" Kutner asked, quickly running his fingers through the back of his close cropped dark hair.

"Did you find the cards and the poker chips?" Cuddy asked Wilson.

"Yep, in the kitchen drawer right where you said they were," Wilson said, placing both the cards and the set of chips on the table.

"Ok, everyone, time to play," Cuddy announced, getting up off the couch and placing her empty glass on the coffee table.

House pushed himself off the couch as Sophie helped Chase get up as well. Chase put his arm around Sophie as they slowly made their way to the table. She eased him into the chair and then brought over the ottoman for him to elevate his ankle.

Chase pulled her down and captured her lips with his own in a tender kiss.

"Thank you, baby," he whispered against her lips.

"You're welcome," she replied softly, slightly caught off guard at his kiss.

Cuddy noticed that Wilson had not sat down with them at the table, but had opted to sit down on the couch instead.

"You're not joining us?" Cuddy asked Wilson with an arched eyebrow.

Wilson picked up the copy of the Kama Sutra and opened it to a random page.

"Gonna catch up on my reading," Wilson said.

Chase chuckled and reached for the cup of Eggnog that had been set at his place at the table, but Sophie stopped him before he could grab it.

"Oh no no no. You're not having any alcohol after taking Vicodin," Sophie admonished him.

"C'mon. Just a sip," Chase pleaded.

Sophie stood up from the table and picked up the Eggnog cup out of his reach, giving him a peck on the mouth as she did so.

"I'll go get you a soda," she told him.

Chase watched her walk away from the table, admiring how her jeans hugged her a$$ as she went into the kitchen. He then turned his attention back to everyone at the table.

"You see that? She loves me," Chase said proudly, still in a Vicodin- induced haze.

"Either that or she doesn't have enough knowledge as a third- year med student to treat liver failure caused by mixing booze and opiates," House told him, reaching for his own cup of Eggnog.

"Maybe you should take your own advice," Cuddy said quietly as she watched House place the cup to his lips, knowing he had taken a Vicodin that morning.

House froze, the cup still close to his lips, as everyone looked at the two of them.

Wilson even looked up from the book from his position on the couch to see how House would respond to Cuddy's comment.

House then put the cup down on the table and gazed softly at Cuddy.

"Hey Wilson, get me a soda, will ya?" he called into the kitchen to Sophie, keeping his eyes on Cuddy.

Cuddy smiled sweetly back at House as Sophie came back to the table with two cans of Sprite and two empty cups. She placed the cups in front of Chase and House, opened the cans for them and poured them their drinks.

As Sophie sat down next to Chase at the table, she and House exchanged a brief but meaningful glance at House began to deal two cards for everyone face down.

"So… how do you play Texas Hold 'Em?" Sophie asked in an innocent voice.

No one saw Wilson smirk and shake his head from his position on the couch as he remained silent, keeping his nose in the book. 

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Over an hour later, House, Cuddy, Chase, Sophie and Kutner were still sitting at Lisa's kitchen table in the living room, still playing Texas Hold 'Em.

After reading the Kama Sutra from cover to cover, Wilson had grabbed one of Cuddy's dining room chairs and brought it into the living room to observe the game.

Chase, Cuddy and Kutner's stacks of chips had been steadily shrinking as they played, while Sophie had been inconsistently winning and losing throughout the hour, still managing to stay in the game.

House, however, had managed to increase the size of his pile of chips exponentially.

House dealt a new hand of cards to everyone at the table, two cards to each player.

Sophie intently watched everyone's reactions to their cards as they were dealt to them.

She then locked eyes with House, nodded once at him and tapped her index finger on the table twice as unnoticeably as she could.

Chase, still slightly buzzed from the Vicodin, kept a narrowed stare on Wilson, who wasn't playing, not noticing Sophie's actions, like everyone else at the table.

"You didn't introduce Sophie to House when we came in," Chase pointed out in a suspicious tone to Wilson.

"You're pretty observant when you're stoned," House remarked as he watched Cuddy toss four chips into the pot.

"Which means you two have met before," Chase said to Sophie, turning towards her.

House and Sophie exchanged an amused glance at each other.

"Should we tell him?" House said to Sophie.

"I don't know. We're in mixed company," Sophie said teasingly with a shrug.

"Yeah, but he's doped up. He won't remember anything," House told her dismissively.

Chase and Cuddy's eyebrows shot upwards at their exchange.

"Tell me WHAT?" Chase demanded of Sophie, not liking where this conversation was headed.

"I forced House to come with me to help Sophie move into her new apartment two years ago," Wilson explained.

"You actually HELPED her move in?!" Cuddy exclaimed.

"No, he sat on his a$$ and watched ME do it," Wilson muttered.

"I supervised," House said defensively.

"Why did you even agree to go?" Chase asked House.

"I promised to take him to O'Sullivans and cover his tab for the night," Sophie replied.

"AND introduce me and your brother to all the hot grad students there," House reminded her.

"BOTH of you didn't need my help with that," Sophie said, tossing in the correct amount of chips to call the current bet.

"Tell them about the bet," Wilson said to Sophie.

"What bet?" Kutner asked, becoming more intrigued by the conversation.

"House bet Sophie that he would get at least ten phone numbers that night from hot co-eds," Wilson told him.

"And I did," House said proudly.

Cuddy shook her head in exasperation, reaching for her eggnog to take a long sip.

"How many of them were from working girls?" Chase snarked at him.

"Chase, some students don't get trust funds. Some have to think of unorthodox yet creative ways to put themselves through school," House said in a condescending tone.

Both Sophie and Wilson pursed their lips together, trying to hide the smirks from forming on their faces.

And Chase noticed this.

"What?" Chase demanded of Sophie.

"Nothing," Sophie replied casually, silently counting how many chips House had accumulated, and glancing at the flop, which revealed a Ten of Clubs, a Three of Hearts and a Jack of Spades.

She then peeked at her hole cards, which were a Jack of Hearts and a Jack of Diamonds.

"Your bet, sweetie," Chase reminded her.

Sophie nodded. "Check," she said, indicating to Chase that she wasn't going to bet this round, despite her monster hand.

Chase nodded and raised the bet as Sophie's expression didn't change in the least. 

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Around a half- hour later, Cuddy tossed her two hole cards into the pile in disgust.

"I'm out," Cuddy muttered.

"I'm broke," Kutner mumbled.

"Here," Chase said dejectedly, tossing his last remaining chip in front of Kutner.

Sophie looked at her small stack of ten chips in front of her and the several stacks of chips that House had taken off everyone else during the game.

"You did pretty well," Sophie remarked casually to House, leaning her elbow on the table and resting her chin in the palm of her hand. "Was is that, five- hundred?" she asked, glancing at his chips.

House quickly counted his chips.

"Five- fifty," he replied.

Hen then paused momentarily before pushing half of his chips across the table to Sophie.

"You didn't do so bad, yourself," he replied.

Chase, Cuddy and Kutner were completely shocked as Sophie smiled slightly, re- organizing the chips that House had given her into neat stacks.

"It's been a while since I've worked with a partner," Sophie admitted to House. "But I think I held my own."

"You guys were WORKING TOGETHER?!" Cuddy exclaimed, her jaw dropping slightly.

"She's been playing poker since she was ten, could count cards at 15, and turned pro at 16," Wilson said.

Chase, Cuddy and Kutner sharply turned their heads towards Wilson's direction.

"Why do you think I didn't play?" Wilson said to all of them.

Kutner's face suddenly wore a look of epiphany.

"She deliberately threw the game," Kutner stated.

Chase turned back to Sophie, his mouth agape, suddenly feeling his buzz wearing off.

"You HUSTLED us?!" Chase asked.

Sophie grinned and bit her lip coyly as she shuffled six chips in her right hand as if they were cards, a move she had practiced over many years.

"You're not the first," she replied with a shrug. 

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A while later, Cuddy and Sophie were in Cuddy's kitchen, cleaning off the dishes and loading her dishwasher.

"You have a beautiful home," Sophie said, handing her a large serving tray that she had rinsed off in the sink.

"Thank you," Cuddy replied, placing it in the dishwasher.

Cuddy glanced at Sophie who began scraping off another large serving plate.

"Are you really a professional poker player?" Cuddy asked.

"Yep. I paid for a semester abroad in Italy with money I grinded out at cards," Sophie said.

"I thought I was ambitious," Cuddy remarked.

Sophie laughed and began to rinse off the plate in the sink.

"So what did Chase get you for Christmas?" Cuddy asked her.

"I have no idea yet. We didn't open our gifts. But I got him a Blackberry so we can text," Sophie replied.

"That's a nice present," Cuddy said.

"Well, a couple of weeks ago, he called me while I was in class and my professor wasn't too pleased," Sophie admitted.

Cuddy chuckled and took the plate from her, racking her brain to think of another question to ask Sophie.

She was happy that Chase had invited Sophie to the party, and Cuddy observed that Sophie didn't seem at all uncomfortable by the fact that she was talking to a woman who had happened to sleep with her new boyfriend only a week before they had gotten together.

But Cuddy had felt decidedly uncomfortable about it.

"So… it's been a month since you and Chase have seen each other?" Cuddy asked after what seemed like a long pause in the conversation.

Sophie nodded. "He came up to Boston for Thanksgiving weekend, but since then, I've been busy on rotations and studying for semester exams," she said.

"I remember those days," Cuddy said.

Another silence hung between them in the air like a lead balloon as they continued to wash and load the dishwasher.

"…Is it serious between you and Chase?" Cuddy asked.

At first, Sophie seemed surprised by the question. But then she smiled softly.

"I don't know yet," she replied.

"It must be hard… having a long- distance relationship…" Cuddy said tentatively.

"It's ok so far. I think it makes the time that we do see each other more special, you know?" Sophie commented.

"But you must miss him when you're not together," Cuddy said.

"I do," Sophie admitted.

"Thanks for giving him a few days off while I'm home," Sophie said to Cuddy.

"It's a good thing I did. With that ankle, he won't be able to stand up to do his job," Cuddy told her.

A soft laugh escaped Sophie's lips as she took a Tupperware out of a nearby cabinet and spooned some leftovers into it. She then covered it and placed it in Cuddy's refrigerator.

Another silence passed over them as she did so, making Cuddy feel even more uncomfortable as she continued to load the dishwasher with silverware, her back towards Sophie.

"…So did Robbie's snoring keep you awake, too?" Sophie suddenly asked.

Cuddy spun around and saw Sophie leaning against the fridge with a knowing grin on her face.

"YES!!" Cuddy exclaimed incredulously.

"I have to nudge him in the ribs THREE TIMES before he'll roll over," Sophie said with a grin.

"That didn't work when I did it. Did you try the nose strips?" Cuddy asked her, matching her grin, staring to laugh.

"They don't work either," Sophie said, shaking her head as she began to laugh as well.

TBC…


	33. Chapter 32

**HI EVERYONE!**

**HERE'S THE FINAL CHAPTER... WHICH MEANS THE END OF THIS FIC. :(**

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING AND FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL AND ENCOURAGING COMMENTS!! THEY MADE THIS A LABOR OF LOVE!**

**AND IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED, I AM WORKING ON A SEQUEL...**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!**

** ***************************************************************** **

**CHAPTER 32: Please read and comment.**

It was late in the afternoon that Christmas Day when Cuddy, Chase and Sophie were sitting on Cuddy's couch, browsing through the copy of the Kama Sutra that House had bought Chase and Sophie for Christmas.

Kutner had left a little more than a half- hour ago, taking with him a Tupperware full of leftovers at Cuddy's insistence.

Cuddy and Sophie were more than a little drunk off of Cuddy's Eggnog, giggling as they discussed the mechanics of the various positions depicted in the book.

In addition, Sophie was checking off positions in the book with a pencil that Chase could possibly do with an injured ankle and a cut on his hand.

But Chase wasn't laughing that much.

It had been over four hours since Chase had taken one of House's Vicodin, and he could feel his ankle starting to throb again. His leg was still resting on the ottoman to keep the swelling minimal.

"Wow, this stuff wears off like clockwork," Chase said, exhaling hard and lolling his head back on the couch.

"You want the ice again?" Sophie asked him.

"Yeah," Chase replied.

Sophie leaned over to Chase, brushed a stray lock of blond hair out of his eyes and kissed him gently on his lips.

"I also have some Motrin in my purse. I'll get you some," she told him.

"Thank you, baby," he replied.

Sophie smiled, got up off the couch and went to retrieve her purse, which Cuddy had placed in her bedroom with all of their coats.

Chase watched her leave with a slight smile on his face as he shifted his position to make himself more comfortable.

"How's your hand?" Cuddy asked.

Chase took off the bandage that Cuddy had affixed to his hand and examined the cut, which had stopped bleeding hours ago. He wiggled his fingers and flexed his hand to make sure that he had full range of motion.

"Seems ok," Chase said.

"Thank god. Now I don't have to find another surgeon that House can manipulate," Cuddy teased.

"Right. I forgot. That's the only reason you're keeping me around," Chase joked back.

Cuddy shook her head, took another sip from her Eggnog and looked down at the book.

"Did that," Cuddy said with a slight grin on her face, jutting her chin at the rather intricate position on the open page.

"You did not!" Chase said with a laugh.

"Yes I did!" Cuddy insisted.

Chase looked back down at the book and arched his eyebrow.

"With HOUSE?" Chase asked in surprise.

"No. He can't stand up that way for that long," Cuddy said.

Chase snorted, taking a glance at his ankle, which seemed to be a bit more swollen.

"Cross that one off the list," Chase muttered, taking the pencil that Sophie had left on the couch and making a small "X" next to it.

Cuddy turned the page to another position.

"How about that one?" Cuddy asked.

"Looks ambitious. I'll be worn out by the end," Chase said.

"Maybe it'll stop him from snoring," Sophie said, having returned from the kitchen with the bag of frozen peas from Cuddy's freezer, a bottle of Motrin and a glass of water for Chase.

Cuddy laughed and held her palm out for Sophie, which she slapped with a grin. 

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While Chase, Cuddy and Sophie were in the living room, House and Wilson were in Cuddy's kitchen. Wilson was leaning against the counter, staring at House, watching him root through the fridge, hunting for leftovers to snack on.

"So what's with giving Chase Vicodin?" Wilson asked House.

House briefly turned around to face Wilson and then turned back to the fridge.

"He sprained his ankle," House replied with a shrug.

"So you gave him one of YOUR Vicodin," Wilson pressed.

"Didn't think that Cuddy's Midol would do more than take the edge off—" House began.

"What's going on with the leg?" Wilson asked.

House sighed in exasperation, found the Tupperware of sweet and sour meatballs and took it out of the fridge.

"You said you could spare the Vicodin, which means you're in less pain. How long has that been going on?" Wilson asked him.

At first, House didn't answer him. He limped over to the silverware drawer, took out a fork, opened the Tupperware and began to eat the meatballs that Cuddy had prepared cold.

Wilson folded his arms across his chest, still leaning against the counter, waiting patiently for House's answer.

"…A little over a month," House replied in mid- chew.

"So… since you've been with Cuddy," Wilson clarified.

"I've been exercising regularly. And by that, I mean having INCREDIBLY hot sex—" House began.

"You're HAPPY," Wilson interrupted.

"Yeah. Incredibly hot sex will do that to a person," House replied condescendingly.

"You're happy because you're with Cuddy, and that's why you're feeling less pain," Wilson said, slightly triumphant in his tone.

"Right. So now you're gonna tell me that the pain's all in my head, and I can manage the pain in different ways besides popping pills—" House began in annoyance.

"Nope," Wilson interrupted again.

House raised his eyebrows, truly surprised at Wilson's statement.

"I was just going to tell you that I'm happy for you," Wilson told him simply.

House's expression softened as he looked down slightly, away from Wilson's gaze.

"Merry Christmas, House," Wilson said, before leaving House alone in the kitchen. 

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An hour later, Chase, Sophie and Wilson said their good- byes to Cuddy and House, wished them both a Merry Christmas and left.

Cuddy closed her front door, turned around and leaned against it, facing House, who was standing with her in her foyer, leaning against his cane.

"Finally," House stated.  "Admit it. You had a good time," Cuddy said, breezing past him down the hallway to her bedroom.

House smirked and began to follow her.

"The poker game was fun," House admitted as they reached her bedroom.

Cuddy sat down on her bed next to the box that contained the Catholic school- girl outfit that she had purchased, leaned back against the pillows on her headboard and stretched her long legs out in front of her.

"And the book?" Cuddy asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Didn't really get a chance to get a good look at it," House said, sitting down on the bed next to her, rubbing the top of her thigh.

"That's a shame. Some of it looked like fun," Cuddy said sexily.

House nodded slightly and reached under the bed, producing another wrapped present.

Cuddy's eyes brightened eagerly as she tore off the wrapping, revealing another copy of the Kama Sutra.

"Which is why I'm glad I took advantage of Borders' 'three for two' sale," House said.

He then leaned closer to her, moved her hair away from her neck and began to suck gently on her soft skin there.

"Feel like doing a little research?" House asked huskily, moving his lips down to her collarbone.

"I need to change first," Cuddy reminded him.

"Mmm," House agreed against her neck.

Cuddy placed her hand on his chest, pushing him back slightly.

"And YOU need to get one of the chairs from the kitchen and bring it back here," Cuddy added.

"Really," House said, incredibly intrigued, looking into her eyes.

Cuddy stared right back at him, her eyes dancing with lust.

"REALLY," Cuddy replied.

She then got up from the bed, taking the box containing her costume with her as she headed for the bathroom.

House watched her leave the room and then hurried to the kitchen as fast as he could go.

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A few minutes later, House quickly returned to Cuddy's bedroom a few moments later, with one of the kitchen chairs she told him to get.

But Cuddy wasn't in the room.

He placed the chair in the room between the bed and the bedroom door.

"Is the chair in there?" Cuddy's voice suddenly asked.

House looked around the room in exaggerated motions for her.

"Did you install a hidden microphone when I went to the kitchen?" House called out, knowing that she was just outside the door, out of his view.

"Just sit in the chair and shut up," Cuddy said from outside.

House sat in the chair with a grin as massive anticipation built up inside him.

Just then, Cuddy came into the room, wearing the naughty school- girl uniform.

And House's jaw nearly hit the floor.

The teeny white – neck V- neck top accentuated her perky breasts and exposed her tone midriff.

The extremely short red plaid skirt showed off her curvy hips and a$$.

The white knee high stockings and high heeled Mary Janes made her toned thighs look look even more delectable.

But it was her raven curls pulled back in pigtails that made House's heart hammer in his chest and his c*ck become rock hard in his pants.

"Sorry that I didn't have a pole installed," Cuddy said coyly, seeing his obvious arousal reflect in his eyes in the dim lights of her bedroom.

"No need," House managed to say.

She flicked on her DVD player, turning on some instrumental, rhythmic music that could have easily been heard in a strip club.

"You download this for me?" House asked, his eyes tracing her entire figure.

"You really wanna talk right now?" she purred.

"Not really," House said.

As the music began to play, Cuddy gyrated her hips to the pulsating rhythm, running her hands over the sides of the curves of her breasts, down her torso, down to her ass.

She turned slowly, revealing how short the plaid skirt was and the ruffles on the back of her panties, peeking out the bottom.

She looked back at him with a pouty expression.

His cock strained painfully against his jeans.

She slowly walked up to him and straddled him, making sure not to lean on his leg.

His eyes traced over the line of her neck, the curves of her breasts in the top.

The scent of her vanilla perfume and something uniquely her permeated his senses.

He slowly ran his finger down the middle of her top, thrilled to find a Velcro closure, barely holding it together.

He ripped open the top, tossing it onto the floor, revealing a white plunge demi bra, making her gasp in mock surprise.

"You want the skirt off, too?" she asked him against his hear.

"No way," House murmured back.

"The pigtails are a nice touch, by the way," wrapping his hands around her lower back, enjoying the feel of her tiny waist in his hands.

"I'll never understand why men find pigtails so sexy," Cuddy mused as she peeled his t- shirt off him.

House didn't bother to reply.

Instead, he pulled her in for a deep kiss, moving his hands down slowly to her ass.

He pressed her against his hard ridge, which was begging to be released from the confines of his jeans.

Cuddy moaned into his mouth, loving the way he took control of her.

He then reached up to her breasts and stroked her nipples over her bra with his thumbs, making her breath hitch.

"I LOVE doing that to you," House murmured into her mouth.

He explored her mouth with his tongue, peeling down the straps of her bra.

Cuddy was so overwhelmed by his kiss that she didn't even feel him unhook her bra from the back.

He peeled it off her shoulders and tossed it onto the floor.

He greedily took her breasts in his hand, engulfing one of her perky nipples hungrily into his mouth.

Cuddy felt wonderful pressure build up between her legs as he licked and suckled her nipple.

She gasped when she felt his teeth gently nip her areola.

House moved his mouth to her other nipple, giving it the same undivided attention. She combed her fingers through the back of his hair, encouraging him further.

"Stand up," he told her, looking up from her breast.

Cuddy complied as House slightly lifted himself up off the chair and quickly shrugged himself out of his jeans.

He then peeled her panties off her legs, past her knee- highs and heels, leaving the skirt still on her.

He pulled her back onto his lap, pressing her naked core against his hardened shaft, still covered by his boxer briefs.

"Let me take them off," she said, snapping the waistband of his shorts.

"Not yet," he told her huskily.

With that, House reached in between their bodies, his long fingers searching for that elusive spot inside her.

"Oh god…" she cried as he found her aching nub and began to make tight, delicious circles against it with his fingertip.

Cuddy's mouth opened slightly as intense sensations began to wash over her at his insistent touch.

House watched her face, becoming more aroused at the way she closed her eyes, dipped her head slightly forward, parted her full lips and rocked her hips against his finger.

"Come for me, Lise…" he begged her.

She quickened the rhythm of her hip movements slightly, feeling the pressure become more intense.

House dipped his head down and teased her nipple with his tongue, increasing the speed of his touch.

She cried out as her orgasm overwhelmed her.

He only allowed her a few seconds to recover before pushing her off him, removing his boxers and situated her back down on his lap, thrusting up inside her in one motion.

He grabbed her ass once more under her skirt, rocking her against him in a deep, slow rhythm.

She arched back at every thrust.

"… god…" House breathed, taking in the sight of her glorious naked torso before him, amazed that his deepest sexual fantasy about her was coming to life.

She pressed harder against him as he seemed to push even deeper inside her.

Their lips were millimeters away from each other's as House tipped over the edge exploding inside her, shuddering as he did.

She held onto him as tightly as she could, as if she'd never let go of him.

As their breathing relaxed, she leaned against his chest once more, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

"You ok?" he asked her.

"Never better," Cuddy replied blissfully.

House exhaled deeply, looking down at her.

"You think I can get you pregnant in this position?" he asked her.

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That same evening, Chase and Sophie were back in Chase's apartment. Chase was sitting on his bed, leaning his back against two pillows that Sophie had propped up for him.

Their wrapped Christmas present for each other were on the bed next to Chase.

Chase's ankle was resting on top of a third pillow that Sophie found in Chase's linen closet. Sophie was sitting by Chase's foot, holding an ice pack on his ankle.

"How's that feel?" Sophie asked him.

"That's good. Thank you," Chase breathed, feeling the throbbing begin to subside.

"You can take two more Motrin in another hour," Sophie said, glancing at the clock.

"I'm glad House didn't see me fall outside. I never would have heard the end of it," Chase mumbled.

Sophie laughed slightly, running her fingertips over the top of his foot.

"You have sexy toes," Sophie said.

Chase smiled slightly, reaching over to caress her knee.

"You ready to open your present?" Chase asked her sweetly.

Sophie nodded and took the smaller of the two presents, wrapped in silver paper with a red bow on top.

"You open yours first," she said, her eyes sparkling.

Chase tore off the wrapping and his entire face brightened when he saw that she had bought him a Blackberry Curve.

"Sophie! Thank you so much!" he said happily, pulling her in closer for a kiss.

"Merry Christmas," she told him, kissing him softly, her lips brushing against his.

"How could you afford this?" he asked her.

"I've been on a hot streak at the tables for the past month," Sophie said with a shrug.

Chase arched his eyebrows, his smile still on his face.

"Jimmy said I needed to get out more," Sophie added coyly.

"You've really turned pro at 16?" Chase asked her, pulling her closer towards him once more.

"Well it sounds dirty when you say it like that," Sophie teased.

Chase waggled his eyebrows, waiting for her answer.

"Yeah, I did," Sophie told him.

"That's the SEXIEST thing I've ever heard," Chase said, nuzzling his face against her neck, gently nipping on her skin.

"That feels nice," Sophie said, closing her eyes, tilting her head back to give him easier access.

"I suck at cards. You'll have to teach me some of your tricks," Chase said against her skin.

"And how are you gonna convince me to do that?" Sophie asked.

"I've got few ideas…" Chase teased, finding the hem of her t- shirt, slipping his hand underneath.

"Now you open yours," he added.

Sophie took the second box off the bed and took off the red and pink paper, revealing a box from Victoria's Secret underneath.

Sophie raised her eyebrows. "Lingerie?" she asked suspiciously.

Chase tilted his head slightly. "Open it up and find out," he said with a slight grin.

Sophie opened the top of the box.

Chase grinned as he watched her face light up upon seeing her present, two cotton v- neck nighties with delicate lace straps, one light pink and one white with a subtle tiny floral print. The v- necks of both nighties were detailed with an eyelet pattern, giving them an innocent, sweet look.

"Oh, Robbie," Sophie said, taking them out of the box.

"You really like them?" Chas asked her.

"I love them," she replied sincerely, running her fingers over the incredibly soft fabric of the pink nightie.

"Look underneath the second one," he said.

Sophie moved the nightie aside, revealing two pairs of bikini cut panties that matched the nighties in the box, causing Sophie to blush slightly.

Chase smiled, finding it endearing that she could joke about Kama Sutra positions in front of his boss, but would blush at a pair of panties.

"…You said you like cotton," Chase said softly.

"I do," she replied, matching his soft tone. 

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 Later that night, Chase and Sophie were lying in Chase's bed underneath his blanket.

Sophie had put on the white and flowered nightie and matching panties for him, her head resting against his bare chest.

Chase's ankle was still propped up on the pillow.

They lay their together in each others' arms, enjoying the silence when Sophie suddenly felt a chill, causing her to shiver.

"Are you cold?" Chase asked her.

"I'm all right," she replied.

"You're shivering. I'll go get us another blanket," Chase said, letting go of her as he sat up and swung his legs over the bed.

But as he put both his feet on the ground, he felt a sharp pain radiate from his left ankle and travel all the way up his leg, causing him to fall. Sophie jumped out of the bed and rushed to help him up.

"Honey, are you ok?" she asked him worriedly.

"I can't put any weight on my leg," Chase said, wincing from the pain.

"I'll take you to the hospital tomorrow for an X- Ray," Sophie said, helping him back on the bed.

"My ankle's not broken. An X- Ray won't show anything but a broken bone," Chase told her.  "Then get an MRI," Sophie told him.

"I don't NEED an MRI! Stop trying to diagnose me!" Chase said, a bit more harshly than he had intended.

Sophie flinched slightly, surprised at his outburst.

"…I'm sorry," she said, barely above a whisper, looking away from him as he examined his ankle.

Chase looked up from his leg and at Sophie, feeling awful for raising his voice to her.

"No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snipe at you," he apologized, caressing her bare knee as she sat next to him.

"You didn't. I was being annoying. My friends tell me the same thing—" Sophie began.

"You weren't being annoying," Chase told her gently. "I guess…" he began, trailing off.

Sophie met his gaze, waiting patiently for him to finish his thought.

"…I just… haven't had someone take care of me in a really long time," he admitted.

"…You think you'll be able to get used to it?" Sophie asked him.

Chase cupped her chin as he gazed at her lovingly.

"Yeah, I think so," he said.

Chase leaned closer to her and kissed her softly once. He then brushed his lips against her again, over and over as he pulled her closer and lowered her back onto the bed. Sophie lay on her back as Chase pressed his body against her on top of her, moving his left ankle away from her legs as he did so.

"Are you sure you can—" Sophie asked.

"What? Make love to my girl? The pain's not in my pants," he quipped with a sly grin.

"I love being your girl," Sophie told him sincerely with a smile.

"And I love you," Chase replied, capturing her lips in a deep kiss, ignoring the pain in his ankle as she wrapped her legs around him. 

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Chase awoke early the next morning out of a deep sleep, at around five AM.

His ankle was throbbing in tremendous pain.

Sophie was still asleep, naked against him, her head resting in the crook of his shoulder.

Chase reached over to his night- stand for his cell phone as carefully as he could, trying not to wake her. As he did, Sophie moaned softly, rolling off of him, turning away from him, still asleep.

Chase ran through the contacts in his phone and found the number for Radiology. He pressed "SEND," waiting for someone to pick up on the other end.

"Yes, this is Dr. Robert Chase…" Chase said when someone picked up.

He pulled the blanket off him to look at his left ankle, noticing that the swelling was back to its original size.

"…I need to schedule an MRI," Chase said into the phone. 

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**STAY TUNED FOR THE SEQUEL TO THIS FIC, "THE MISTAKE."**

**THANKS FOR READING!!**


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